One Mistake Can Change Everything
by RubyChan05
Summary: An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee's bullet hadn't hit the wall? What if it had hit Ryo instead? As the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, Dee is torn apart by guilt. And when Ryo makes a serious decision, it looks like it's all over.
1. Fatal Mistake

**Introduction**

An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee hadn't listened to Ryo's pleads? What if the bullet had hit Ryo, instead of the wall?

Torn apart by guilt, Dee can only watch as the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, leaving their growing relationship a broken and shattered one.Is this the end of their crime busting team? Has Dee's mistake cost him his dream of being with Ryo?

**As events unfold, two hearts are broken….**

* * *

**Chapter One; Fatal Mistake**

"Dee!" Ryo leapt down from the wall, landing in front of Ben Lloyd and effectively shielding him from the furious Dee.

"Don't pull this shit on me, Ryo. Don't freaking get in my freaking way. He's trash, man, and I'm just takin' him out. So just move your ass, and get the hell out of my way!" Dee ordered, still pointing his gun towards the unfortunate criminal…and Ryo. >_As soon as Ryo gets out of my way, I can pull this trigger. I'll be able to teach Lloyd a lesson that he'll never forget. Because he'll be dead! >_

"Dee, you've got to cool it." Ryo pleaded, taking a step towards Dee entreatingly. "Even if you don't do it now, someone else along the line will. I mean look at him. His days are numbered. He's practically got 'shoot me' written on his forehead. So come one, let's just take him back to the station and…"

From the corner of his eye, Ryo vaguely noticed a slightly miffed look on Lloyd's face at being described this way, but Ryo couldn't care less about that at the moment. All he wanted to do was stop Dee from making the biggest mistake of his life.

"But if I don't do it, things'll never be right! I have to settle this myself and by my own hand! So just get the hell out of the way, damnit!" Dee snapped, jerking his gun angrily to the right in order to illustrate his point.

"I won't! I'm not going to just step aside and then be the one having to tell Mother that you're a murderer!" Ryo stated with anguished eyes, refusing to move. >_Drake and I joked about you being a murderer or worse if you hadn't been a cop…please don't prove that to be true. Just put the gun down and walk away from this... >_

"You're not my friggin' guardian, goddamnit! Now shut your freaking mouth and get the hell out of the way or I'll freaking shoot you too, I swear!" Dee snarled.

"How can you say that! I'm your partner, Dee! And you're _my_ partner for crying out loud!" Ryo desperately cried, rapidly feeling any chance of turning Dee away from this path slipping away from him. His partner's green eyes were narrowed and flashing with murderous rage – and Ryo couldn't ever remember seeing Dee like this before.

"To hell with it! Then, I quit being your freaking partner. So move the hell away, Ryo!" Dee bellowed. Ryo gasped in shock, staring at Dee as the words sunk in.

_>Dee…how can you say that after we've become so close? You once told me that your heart stopped cold in your chest when you thought that I was going to be killed by Renard Henry in England. But it looks like your heart has no qualms about me dying here and now by your own hands. Dee…have I fallen for a murderer? Will you really pull the trigger on me?>_

"You going to let go of me now Dee? After all we've been through!" Ryo yelled, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as if in denial of what was happening. He could almost sense the deep bond that he had shared with Dee shattering into a million tiny pieces, never to be regrouped again.

But what happened next could not be denied. Even as Ryo's outburst echoed round the alleyway, Dee's finger tightened on the trigger, and the harsh sound of a gunshot split the still night air of New York.

Arm still outstretched and pointing the gun towards the end of the alley, Dee blinked, feeling as though a red mist had finally been cleared from in front of his eyes. A startled gasp and a thud caught his attention, and Dee focused in on the limp form of Ben Lloyd. >_No wound…he's only fainted from the shock. So what did I hit? >_

Quickly surveying the walls of the alleyway, Dee frowned as he saw a distinct lack of bullet holes in the surrounding scenery. Turning his gaze to the blonde man still standing in front of him, Dee saw that Ryo was staring back at him, a sorrowful expression on his face. Then, Ryo slowly sank to his knees before crashing down to lie on the floor, a rapidly growing patch of red appearing on his shirt.

It was only then that Dee realised exactly what his bullet had hit.

With a choked cry, Dee threw his still smoking gun away from him, not caring where it landed as he ran to his partner's side.

"Ryo! Oh God, Ryo speak to me!" He begged, frantically unbuttoning the blonde's shirt in order to get a better look at the wound.

"Ryo, please!" Hearing no response from the man he cared so deeply for, Dee glanced at Ryo's face, not liking the way that Ryo's dark eyes were rapidly dulling at all. Turning his attention back to the wound, Dee felt himself beginning to tremble as he saw just how much Ryo's wound was bleeding. >_Shit! He's losing too much blood! Ryo…what the hell have I done?>_

"What the hell was that! A gun being fired?" Dee looked up as he heard people running towards the alleyway, obviously having heard the sound of the gunshot. Pulling Ryo's head onto his lap, he rocked the other man slightly, tears streaming down his face.

"It's going to be ok, Ryo, you'll see. Just hold on a little while longer for me, please…"

Lifting his head, Dee began to call out, trying desperately to get someone's attention.

"We're over here! We need help! Please, we're over here!" He yelled urgently, letting out a small sob of relief as Drake rounded the corner and ran into the alleyway.

"Dee! What the hell was…" Drake's voice died away, and he gasped as he saw the way Dee was cradling Ryo in his arms. "Dee…what have you done?"

"I didn't mean to hit him…I just wanted to make Lloyd pay for what he did to my Mother." Dee croaked, staring helplessly up at his friend. Drake just dashed over to them, carefully extracting Ryo from Dee's death grip, and staring down at the bleeding wound in the blonde's chest.

"Didn't you even try to stop the bleeding? Dee, you idiot, that's basic first aid!" He snapped, shrugging off his jacket and placing it over the wound, applying pressure in the hope that the bleeding would slow. Glancing up at Dee, he frowned as he saw the terrified expression on the other man's face. >_Great. I have one dying of a bullet wound, and one going into shock. >_

"At least tell me that you had the sense to call for an ambulance, Dee!" Drake begged. Blinking, Dee slowly shook his head, his eyes still focused on Ryo.

"I left my mobile at home…I couldn't…"

Drake groaned. Digging around in his pocket, he chucked his own phone at Dee, relieved that Dee managed to find the wit to catch it.

"Call for an ambulance, Dee. _Now_!" He barked. Dee seemed to get a better grip on himself, and nodded, beginning to quickly dial the number in.

Satisfied that an ambulance would be on its way soon, Drake turned his full attention back to Ryo. The Japanese-American's breathing was laboured, and Drake bit his lip as he realised that it was very likely that the bullet had hit Ryo's lung.

"Stay with us, Ryo…don't you dare close your eyes on us, you hear me?" He whispered, staring into Ryo's glazed over eyes. Ryo coughed slightly in response, a small trickle of blood slipping from the corner of his mouth as he did so.

"I guess…I did…" Ryo murmured quietly, his eyes unfocused.

"You did what?" Drake asked gently, trying to keep Ryo awake by his questioning. Ryo began to mutter something in reply, but it was too quiet for Drake to make out. Frowning, he leaned closer, trying to catch what his friend was saying.

"…len for a murderer." Ryo breathed, his eyes fluttering shut. Drake's eyes widened, and he began to shake Ryo, desperately trying to get him to wake up.

"No! Come on Ryo, just keep those eyes open a little while longer!"

Dee chose that moment to look up from Drake's mobile.

"They said that they'll be here as soon as…Ryo!" Moving back to Ryo's side, Dee grabbed the blonde from Drake, pulling him into his fierce embrace.

"Please Ryo…don't die like this…don't let go. Not like this. You're too beautiful to die!" He pleaded.

Just then, the scream of sirens came into earshot, and the alley was momentarily lit up by a flash of blue light. Doors were slammed on a vehicle, and then the alley suddenly seemed to be full of people, as the Chief and other officers followed the paramedics into the alley.

"Damn…what the hell happened here!" The Chief demanded, although the look on Dee's face was enough to tell him exactly what _had_ happened.

"You guys are lucky that we were in the neighbourhood…your pal's in serious condition." One of the medics said, quickly removing Drake's jacket and beginning to dressRyo's wound. Once she was sure that it would do until they got Ryo to the hospital, she nodded to her colleague and they carefully lifted the blonde onto the stretcher, hurrying back to the ambulance.

"Wait!" Dee called, scrambling to his feet. "I thought that it was ok for someone to go with anyone rushed away in an ambulance?" He made to run forward after the medics, but Drake blocked him, glaring at his friend.

"Don't you think that you've done enough for tonight? You're right, when a person is rushed off to hospital like this, they do allow one person to ride in the ambulance with them. And that person's gonna be the Chief!" Drake stated, pointing over to the ambulance. Sure enough, Dee saw the Chief climbing into the ambulance after Ryo's stretcher had been rolled inside.

"But he's my partner!" Dee protested, trying to get past Drake.

"That didn't stop you from shooting him, did it?" Drake replied. Dee gasped, taken aback by Drake words.

"I didn't mean to shoot him…I just wanted to revenge Penguin…" He choked out.

"Yeah, and that turned out well, didn't it! You let your anger blind you, and it was Ryo that got caught up in the crossfire tonight. You should know better, Dee! As a cop, you've seen just as many revenge cases as me, and you know as well as I do how they all turned out!"

"I just couldn't help it…it was like all I could see was Penguin lying there in the orphanage rubble…I just wanted to make Lloyd pay." Dee said hoarsely. Drake's eyes softened, and he placed a reassuring hand on Dee's shoulder.

"Ryo's gonna be ok, Dee. He may not look it, but he's strong. Probably stronger than you or I could ever be."

"Yeah…"

"Why don't you just get yourself over to the hospital, and leave me to handle Lloyd?" Drake offered. Dee nodded, and turned to the end of the alley, pointing.

"He's over…there." His voice died away, and he stared in disbelief at the empty spot where Ben Lloyd had previously been.

"Don't tell me that after all of this, he managed to escape…" Drake groaned.

Dee simply moved towards the empty corner, his movements jerky as he gazed at the area in shock.

"He must have woken up and escaped whilst I was busy with Ryo…" He said in a strangled voice.

Collapsing to the floor as his legs finally gave out beneath him, Dee could only close his eyes in dismay and begin to sob as he realised the awful truth. Ryo had been shot because of his mistake…and he didn't even have Lloyd to show for it.

"Oh God Ryo…I'm sorry…I'm so so sorry…"

* * *

_Hi there, everybody! I just read Fake Volume 2 the other day, and when I saw Act 6, I was blown away! Then I kind of noticed the soulful look in Ryo's eyes at the bullet hole in the wall behind him...and I just thought to myself - what if Dee hadn't just grazed Ryo's cheek? What if he had shot him in the chest instead?_

_And so my first Fake fanfic was born. Hope it's alright! Read and Review please!_


	2. I Need You To Leave

**Introduction**

An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee hadn't listened to Ryo's pleads? What if the bullet had hit Ryo, instead of the wall?

Torn apart by guilt, Dee can only watch as the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, leaving their growing relationship a broken and shattered one. And when Ryo announces that he's leaving, it looks like all of Dee's hopes for a future with the man he loves have become impossible to achieve.

With only himself to blame for the turn of events, Dee searches frantically for Ryo, only to find that his old partner seems to have disappeared for good. Is this the end of their crime busting team? Has Dee's mistake cost him his dream of being with Ryo?

_**As events unfold, two hearts are broken….**_

* * *

**Chapter Two; I Need You To Leave**

Dee paced around the hospital's waiting room for friends and relatives of patients, anxiously awaiting news of Ryo's condition. Upon arrival, he had learnt from the Chief that Ryo had been rushed straight into surgery for a much needed blood transfusion and stitching of his wound, but that was all he knew.

Afterwards, the Chief had been forced to go back to the station and inform Commissioner Rose of the situation, but had clapped Dee on the shoulder before he left, smiling as reassuringly as he could in the circumstances. Then Dee had been left alone.

Collapsing into a chair, Dee buried his head in his hands, letting out a small sob. >_I failed him…he was my partner, damnit, and I failed him! All he wanted to do was stop me from becoming a murderer…that was why he put himself between me and Lloyd – he trusted me not to shoot.>_

Grinning bitterly to himself, Dee managed to squash down the urge he felt to cry. >_He trusted me…and I sure ruined that, didn't I? I betrayed him…the man who's not only my partner, but the guy I'm in love with. How can I ever face him now?>_

"Dee!" Hearing the door to the waiting room open, closely followed by the sound of his name being called, Dee lifted his head to see who it was.

_SMACK!_

Eyes wide, Dee raised a trembling hand to his slapped cheek, staring at his attacker – a shaking Carol that looked like she was going to break down any moment. The next thing he knew, there was a blur of dark skin and blonde hair, before Bikky was on top of him, hitting out at his stomach.

But the punches grew weaker and weaker, until Bikky finally allowed a loud sob to escape him as he let himself fall limply into Dee's arms.

"How could you, Dee? How could you do that to Ryo? I thought you cared about him!" He demanded hoarsely, his normally strong voice choked with tears.

"I…I didn't mean to…I just…I just…" Dee stammered, finding himself unable to finish his sentence. Everything just seemed to be happening so fast, but to Dee it felt like he was still standing in the alley, staring in shock at Ryo's bleeding body.

"You just what! Shot him by accident! You're too good with a gun to do something like that, Dee. You just let your hatred blind you, and now look what's happened!" Carol snapped, before sinking into the chair next to him and wrapping her arms around both Dee and Bikky.

"I hate you right now, Dee…but I know that you never truly wanted to hurt Ryo. So I forgive you." She whispered, her grip round the two males tightening. Dee made a small shocked sound, and Bikky shifted in his arms, staring up at the green eyed cop.

"I don't think that I'll ever forgive you for this. I hate you. But then again, what's new?" He said, smiling wanly at Dee. Dee gazed down at the young teenager, before letting his eyes shift to where Carol was sitting.

And the dam broke.

And he finally began to cry, allowing the tears to stream down his face instead of escape through his previous small sobs.

* * *

"Mr Laytner?" At the nurse's voice, three heads shot up, staring at the newcomer with an intensity that was almost frightening. Heart in his mouth, Dee struggled out from underneath Bikky and got to his feet, running a hand through his dark hair anxiously.

"Yes, I'm Dee Laytner. Do you have news on Ryo?" He demanded. The nurse frowned, checking her clipboard in confusion.

"Ryo? I'm sorry, I must have got the wrong person…forgive me." She apologised, beginning to back up. Dee sighed in exasperation, before suddenly realising what the problem was.

"Wait! He might be in your records under the name Randy Maclean instead!" He called, hoping that his theory was right. To his relief, the nurse smiled and nodded, coming back into the room.

"Ah, that explains the mix up. I assume that you're anxious to know what condition Mr. Maclean's in?" She queried, sweatdropping as three heads nodded frantically.

"At the moment, Mr. Maclean is stable, and likely to stay that way. We have stopped the bleeding, and removed most of the blood and air from the pleural space, which is the gap between the chest wall and the lung. Mr. Maclean has also had a chest tube inserted through his chest wall for the sole purpose of draining the remaining blood and air, as well as re-expanding the lung. We are hoping to be able to remove the tube in a few days time."

Pausing for breath, the nurse smiled reassuringly at the worried faces before her.

"Mr. Maclean should be fine. In most cases like these, he would not have required surgery at all, but due to the severity of the wound, it was necessary to assist in repairing the damaged lung and to stitch the entrance wound."

Dee smiled shakily, his eyes bright with unshed tears of relief.

"So he's gonna be ok? Ryo's really gonna be ok?" He choked out, hardly able to believe it.

"Yes. You should be able to see him tomorrow, after some final checkups are done. However, we're keeping Mr. Maclean unconscious for the first few days, in the hope that the added rest will speed his recovery."

Dee's legs gave out under him, and he fell to the ground, leaning back against the wall as he began to cry yet again. But this time, it was tears of relief that were being allowed release, and everything was going to be alright.

_>It's gonna be ok now…it's really gonna be ok.>

* * *

_

Dee sat by Ryo's bedside, his sharp eyes examining every visible inch of the man that he had so stupidly put in hospital. Sighing, he gently rearranged the honey coloured hair around Ryo's face, before letting his hand drop to his side, feeling useless and unneeded.

_>3 days…3 days since the incident. They took him off the drugs that were keeping him unconscious, so he should be waking up soon…but it's been 5 hours now, and no movement.>_

"Dee? Hey bud, how's Ryo today?" Dee glanced up at the doorway to Ryo's private room, smiling tiredly at the visitor.

"He's doing good, Ted. He's meant to be waking up soon." He replied, his eyes moving back to the sleeping beauty in front of him.

"That's great, Dee. Everyone at the station have been so happy to hear that he's doing fine…no one's ever had a bad word against him there, unless you count JJ's obsessed challenges to his 'rival in love'. But right now, even that guy's only wishing Ryo the best." Ted grinned.

Ever since Ryo had been hospitalised, the precinct had come with a new routine. Every morning, Drake came over to the hospital to get news about how Ryo had been overnight. And every evening, Ted came to check up on him too. Between the two of them, they were keeping their workmates up to date on Ryo's condition.

Dee, although pending investigation for his pursuit of Lloyd and the shooting of Ryo, had been allowed to wait for Ryo to recover before being taken to court. So far, he hadn't left Ryo's side – he was even sleeping in the same room, in the visitor's chair.

"It's great how everyone just pulls together at a time like this. If even a little snot like JJ can be nice, then it just proves how good a team we are." Dee said softly. Ted nodded, before pulling back, getting ready to leave.

"If there's been no further news, then I'll be going now. Drake will be over tomorrow morning as usual. Ok Dee?"

"Ok."

"I'll see you tomorrow then." Ted shrugged, moving down the corridor and out of sight.

Dee watched him go for a moment, but soon refocused on Ryo, almost feeling as though he could get Ryo to wake through the force of his will alone. And then a miracle happened.

Ryo woke up.

"Unngh…" Hearing his partner groan, Dee's breath caught in his throat, finding himself almost unable to believe it. >_He's waking up…Ryo's waking up at last! >_

Heart thundering in his chest, Dee watched as Ryo's eyelids slowly fluttered open, revealing beautiful dark eyes. For a moment, those eyes seemed to be flickering over the room in confusion, but as soon as they landed on Dee, their expression turned into something hidden and masked.

Opening his mouth to speak, Ryo instead began to cough harshly, his throat dry from his long sleep.

"Oh God! Hang on Ryo, I'll get you some water!" Dee exclaimed, rushing over to where the pitcher of water stood, and pouring Ryo a glass. Moving back towards the bed, Dee carefully manoeuvred Ryo into a sitting position that wouldn't aggravate his injury, before handing Ryo the glass.

The blonde gladly accepted it, gulping down the clear liquid quickly before signalling to Dee that he wanted to lie back down. Smiling broadly, Dee allowed him to do so, placing the empty glass on the nearby table, out of their way.

"I'm so glad that you're ok, Ryo! When you were in surgery, and then when you weren't waking up, I was so worried! I felt like my whole world had been narrowed down to this single point, and that the point was you…I've never felt so scared in my whole life!" Dee babbled, his words spilling over each other in their eagerness to be free.

"And I'm sorry, Ryo…I'm so so sorry that you ended up like this because of me. I…man, just listen to me. You've only just regained consciousness, and I'm already talking nonsense. Is there anything you need? Is there anything you want me to do for you?" Dee offered, staring anxiously at Ryo.

Ryo nodded slowly, gazing up at Dee silently. Dark eyes narrowed, and Ryo swallowed hard, before finally speaking.

"I want…you to go."

Dee did a double take, stepping back from the bed in shock at Ryo's words.

"Wha…what? Dude, what are you saying?" He gasped.

Ryo simply shut his eyes and turned his head away, refusing to look at Dee. And when he spoke, his voice was even colder, every word certain.

"I need you to leave."

* * *

**_Oh no! Ryo what are you doing? Don't say that to Dee! Mind you, we can't really blame him at the moment, can we? Anyway, do the usual please, and read and review!_**

**_(And on a side note, FAKE books 3-7 arrived yesterday! I love them so much! Now I have the whole collection - yay!)_**


	3. Deception

**Introduction**

An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee hadn't listened to Ryo's pleas? What if the bullet had hit Ryo, instead of the wall?

Torn apart by guilt, Dee can only watch as the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, leaving their growing relationship a broken and shattered one. And when Ryo announces that he's leaving, it looks like all of Dee's hopes for a future with the man he loves have become impossible to achieve.

With only himself to blame for the turn of events, Dee searches frantically for Ryo, only to find that his old partner seems to have disappeared for good. Is this the end of their crime busting team? Has Dee's mistake cost him his dream of being with Ryo?

**_As events unfold, two hearts are broken…._**

* * *

**Chapter Three; Deception**

Dee did a double take, stepping back from the bed in shock at Ryo's words.

"Wha…what? Dude, what are you saying?" He gasped.

Ryo simply shut his eyes and turned his head away, refusing to look at Dee. And when he spoke, his voice was even colder, every word certain.

"I need you to leave."

* * *

"Ryo? Are you being serious! Tell me you're just joking, please…." Dee croaked, green eyes wide and shocked. Ryo shook his head, never breaking eye contact with the younger man. 

"I'm deadly serious, Dee. What, did you think you could just shoot me and then we'd go back to being best buddies? I'm sorry, Dee, but this isn't like when you force me into a kiss – I can't just pretend it never happened." Ryo snapped, wincing slightly as his aggravated movements made his wound throb.

"Ryo, please!" Dee pleaded, horrified at the way that things were going. "I didn't mean to shoot you like that! It was a mistake – you gotta believe me!" Raking his hands through his dark hair, Dee's breathing sped up as he grew more and more agitated, Ryo's dark expression shooting right through him.

"Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel better! You could have killed me! All I was trying to do was stop you from doing something you'd regret for the rest of your life, and in return you turned your gun on me." Ryo visibly drooped, suddenly becoming quieter.

"We're partners, for crying out loud Dee. We face dangerous situations every day in this city – we should be able to trust each other with our lives. And the thing is, I _can't_ trust you. Not anymore." Ryo said brokenly.

"Ryo…" Dee whispered, moving to wrap the blonde in a tight embrace, just wanting Ryo to trust him again, to maybe break down crying on his shoulder and to stop acting so coldly. But before he could even get close, Ryo had flinched away from his touch, gazing at him evenly with those unreadable dark eyes.

"Could you ring Bikky and let him know that I'm awake please? I'd like to see him." Ryo said, cutting Dee off before he could say anything else. Dee nodded numbly, silently walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. A nurse bustled by, and he grabbed her sleeve before vacantly saying;

"Mr Maclean from Room 542's awake. I'm just going to tell the kid he's looking after."

"Someone will be in to check on him shortly sir." The nurse smiled, continuing on with her rounds. Dee nodded and walked jerkily over to the nearby payphone, inserting a 50 cent coin into the slot and dialling Carol's home number. He knew that Bikky should be there, since he'd been staying at Carol's during Ryo's stay in hospital.

"Hello? Elina Tsumura?…..Ummm, it's Dee Laytner. I'm calling with news about Ryo…...Yes, I'd like to talk to Bikky please…..Bikky, get your butt down here right now. Ryo's woken up and he's asking for you…..yes, he seems to be fine….no, he's not got brain damage, where the hell did you get that idea from!….For God's sake, Bikky, he was hit in the chest, not the head!…..Just get down here!"

Growling under his breath, Dee hung up, cursing insolent 10 year olds who wouldn't just do what they were told. He didn't have a clue how Carol's aunt had coped looking after both kids these last few days. Checking his watch, he looked longingly at the door to Ryo's room before shaking his head and making his way down to the main entrance to meet Bikky.

* * *

"This is so great! I can't believe that he's awake and fine! I was so worried about him!" Carol laughed, clapping her hands happily as the group rode the elevator up to the 5th floor. Bikky nodded, shooting Dee a dark glare. 

"Yeah, he's gonna be fine….no thanks to a certain person." He said stingingly, before pausing as he got no angry response from Dee.

"Dee? What the hell's up with you! I thought you'd be jumping for joy now that Ryo's awake!" Bikky frowned, staring suspiciously at the older man. Dee shrugged, hanging his head slightly.

"He doesn't want to see me. He wouldn't even let me apologise properly….he just got angry at me and asked me to ring you." He muttered miserable, shoving his hands in his pockets. Carol sighed pityingly, and took Bikky's hand as the doors to the lift pinged open, pulling the mulatto down the corridor towards Ryo's room.

"Don't worry Dee, we'll talk to him!" She promised, smiling over her shoulder. Bikky jerked his hand away from her, staring at Carol like she'd just grown a second head.

"Who's we! I don't _want_ them to get back together – maybe then I wouldn't have to keep walking in on this old geezer slurping all over Ryo's face!" He protested loudly. Carol just rolled her eyes and winked at Dee knowingly.

"Fine, _I'll_ talk to him. I'm sure he won't stay mad at you for long…well ok, he's Ryo, so he _will_ stay mad at you for ages…but I'm sure he'll get over it eventually." She promised. Dee smiled wanly at her, nodding as he watched them knock and enter Ryo's room.

"Thanks…" He murmured, before going to notify the precinct of Ryo's awakening.

* * *

Two hours later, and Dee was ready to collapse from a mixture of boredom and despair. He'd read through all the magazines he could get his hands on, tried out most of the free arcade games offered in the nearby room, and failing that, attempted to escape using his imagination. 

At which point he'd realised he didn't have one.

So now he was just slouched in his seat, staring blankly at the white wall and wishing that he had something to distract him from the scenes that were currently playing in his head – all of which were focused around a certain dark haired blonde that was currently talking to Bikky and Carol.

So engrossed in his self-pity was he, Dee almost didn't hear the soft click of the door opening. But his police training kicked in, and his head shot round to stare unblinkingly at the door, his breath catching as the two children walked out.

"Well?" He demanded, jumping to his feet as Carol dragged Bikky over to him.

"He said he'll see y…" Carol's voice trailed away as a whirlwind suddenly blew past her, leaving the space previously occupied by Dee empty. Twisting round, she just had time to catch sight of a leg vanishing through the doorway to Ryo's room before the door clicked closed and the corridor fell silent.

"Kyaa, he's fast!" She giggled, putting her hand up to hide her mouth. Bikky snorted, looking to the side.

"Bet that's what everyone he sleeps with say so too…OW!" Squinting in pain and rubbing at his abused head, Bikky looked up at Carol indignantly.

"What was that for?"

"For saying mean things about Dee – he's Ryo's, so only Ryo should be allowed to insult him." She explained cheerfully, grabbing his arm again. "Come on, let's leave the lovebirds be!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Dee was nervously hovering by the door, waiting for Ryo to give him the ok to sit down. Tilting his head to look at him, Ryo just shrugged and raised a sarcastic eyebrow, pointing to the chair next to him. Sighing in relief, Dee promptly made his way over and sat down in it. 

"So…" He began, voice tailing off as he realised that he hadn't got a clue what to say. In awkward situations like these, he'd normally end up pouncing on the blonde and kissing him….but he somehow doubted that Ryo would take that in a good way at the moment, what with him recently being shot and all.

"Don't get carried away, Dee. I didn't call you in here to play the forgiving victim. I just wanted to say a few things before you go." Ryo cut in. Dee's mouth went dry and he swallowed hard, staring at Ryo in shock.

"Go? But…I've been staying at the hospital ever since you were admitted…I'm happy to stay…"

"But I don't want you to stay, Dee. I'd much rather you went home and stayed away from me for a while." Ryo said icily, glaring at the green eyed man. "I just wanted to say that I'm not going to press charges against you when this comes up in court, I'll support the claim that you were out of your mind with grief at the time. But that's it – that's as far as I'm prepared to go when it comes to forgiving you."

"Well…guess that'll put a strain on our working relationship." Dee said weakly, somehow knowing full well that the only reason Ryo wasn't pressing charges was because like it or not, Dee was too good a cop for the 27th precinct to lose.

"Not really, since I'm requesting a transfer." Ryo stated casually, as if it wasn't that big of a deal. To the Dee however, it was like a bomb had been dropped on his head – no, bigger…a _meteor_.

"What! Ryo, you can't do this!" He yelped, jumping to his feet and staring at Ryo in shock. Ryo shrugged again and looked away, his expression pained.

"What, you expect me to just go back there, and see you everyday for the rest of my career? Even if I can get a new partner, I'll still bump into you all the time – Criminal Investigations isn't that big, and you know it. I can't live like that, Dee. I can't face you everyday as though nothing happened. I'm not a strong enough person."

"Ryo…please, reconsider. I…"

"No Dee. I won't reconsider. Now, I think that it's time to leave."

"Ryo! You can't do this! I won't let you just run away from everything like this! You can't!" Dee bellowed, not noticing Ryo reach behind him and press a button on the bed. Almost instantly, a nurse came into the room, frowning as she saw Dee yelling at one of her patients like that.

"Nurse, could you remove this man from my room and make arrangements so that he won't be allowed into see me ever again? He's harassing me, and I'd rather not have to put up with his obsessive stalker visits." Ryo said coldly, ignoring the hurt expression that washed across Dee's face.

"Of course, Mr Maclean. I'll make arrangements with Front Desk right away." Making a note on her clipboard, she turned to Dee and gently took his arm, beginning to guide him out of the room. "I'm afraid you'll have to leave Sir…"

"Fine!" Dee snapped, yanking his arm out of her grasp and storming out of the room. Once he was outside of the room, however, his enraged expression became one of pain, and he slid down the wall with his head in his hands, tears in his eyes. >_Oh God Ryo…I don't want you to go…I don't think I'll survive if you leave me alone…>

* * *

_

"In conclusion, we recommend that Detective Laytner is given 21 days house arrest and is prohibited from using a firearm for the next 6 months. Afterwards, he will be granted access to guns once more, but must be kept under strict probation. Any failure to keep to these conditions will result in an enquiry into the circumstances concerning the particular incident, possibly followed by a short jail sentence."

Dee wilted in relief at the sentence, glad that it wasn't anything more serious. He could cope with being kept under house arrest for a few weeks…and as much as he relied on his gun, he'd never been able to look at one quite the same way after the confrontation in the alleyway.

Glancing up at the public seating in the gallery, Dee's gaze fell on a certain blonde who had slipped up to watch after giving his statement, noticing the slightly pale and worn expression he was wearing, obviously tired from the day's events.

Ryo happened to look down at him at that particular moment, and for an instant they were gazing into each others' eyes, warm brown staring into endless green. Then Ryo's eyes hardened, and he turned away. Sighing, Dee left the docks and walked out of the back entrance to the courtroom, smiling wanly as JJ leapt at him, babbling on about how relieved he was that Dee wasn't going to jail.

"Yeah, I'm glad that you got managed to get off lightly." Ted grinned, shooting Dee the thumbs-up. Drake nodded in agreement, offering a hand to pull Dee up from where he'd crashed to the floor during JJ's charge.

"For a moment there, I thought that they were going to give you a harsher sentence. But luckily, they seemed to change their minds halfway through…"

"No thanks to Ryo. I'm sure that his half-hearted defence of the lovely Dee here made things worse." JJ snorted, wrapping his arms tighter around Dee. Dee growled, wrenching himself away from the JJ leech.

"Shut the hell up, JJ! Ryo didn't have to come down here and speak for me, especially when he's still recovering from the injury that I gave him. And he did the best he could in the circumstances, so lay off him!" He snapped. Silence suddenly fell, and Dee looked up to see Ryo standing at the other end of the hall, watching him. Realising that he'd been spotted, the blonde quickly turned and walked away, heading for the exit.

"Ryo! Wait!" Dee yelped, shoving his way past JJ and running after his partner, trying to catch up with him. Leaping down the short flight of stone steps that led outside, he finally succeeded, dashing in front of Ryo and blocking his way. Ryo raised an eyebrow at the heavily breathing Dee but then turned away, not wanting to look at the persistent cop.

"Ryo…have you thought anymore about your decision? You're not really leaving, are you?" Dee pleaded, staring earnestly at his crush. Ryo tensed, biting his lip as he lifted his head to look at Dee again.

"Yeah…I am. I'm leaving at the end of the month, just over a week after you get freed from your house arrest." Ryo admitted, not quite meeting Dee's gaze.

"Ohh…any idea what job you'll get?" Dee asked quietly. Ryo shook his head, finally making eye contact with him.

"I suppose it depends on what kind of jobs are available near my new apartment…I'm moving away too."

"You're…ohh. I…I hope you have a good time in your new home." Dee said, smiling despite how it felt like his heart was breaking.

Ryo studied him for a moment, then looked down again, focusing on the coat that he held tightly in his hands.

"Umm…if you want you could come see me off…" He offered. Dee smiled gently, nodding.

"I think I'd like that."

"Good…don't forget, ok? Come see me off on the last day of the month – no sooner though, or I won't be ready." Ryo grinned.

"Sure! But…shouldn't it be 'see _us_ off', instead of 'see _me_' off? What about Bikky?" Dee frowned, picking up on the slight slip. Ryo stiffened, tightening his grip on his coat at the question.

"Bikky won't be coming with me. It's not fair that he should have to start off in a new school and make new friends just because I want to move. I've made arrangements with Carol's aunt – she'll look after Bikky, and I'll send her money every month to help pay for him. I guess he's not my responsibility anymore, since I'm not keeping a roof over his head…but I feel like I should help out still." He murmured softly.

Dee nodded understandingly, making to pull Ryo into a short hug.

"I know what you mean. I…"

"Umm, Dee? I have to go now. Bikky will be wondering where I am." Ryo suddenly interrupted, moving away from Dee and looking at him questioningly. Dee held up his hands in surrender, allowing a crooked grin to crawl onto his face.

"Sure. But get ready for my visit at the end of the month, because I'll be using everything in my power to get you to stay." He announced, waving and walking off. Ryo watched him go for a moment, before turning and leaving himself, hair cast a shadow over his face so that his glittering eyes were lost to the darkness.

But the single tear that trickled down his cheek shone in the light, letting the world know that a certain heart was breaking.

_>I'm sorry, Dee.>_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note**

* * *

Well, chapter 3 is finally up! I didn't mean to leave it that long! (Just over 2 months? Yow!) So anyway, I'm sorry about that. I've been focusing on my other fics, and I had to prepare for Mock Exams and my French Speaking Exam, so...yeah.This fic should get more attention soon, as my Tsubasa fic will be finished soon - so I'll only have 2 on the go for once! 

But anyway, back to the chapter...Ryo, what are you doing? Well, I know, since I'm writing it, but still...what are you planning? Oh, and for anyone who got confused by 'Elina Tsumura', she's Carol's aunt. Book 2 mentions that she's called Elina, and as I couldn't find a last name for Carol anywhere (and believe me, I looked _everywhere_ - OVA credits, manga, Absolute Anime factfile...) I used a fairly common Japanese one.

Please read and review!

**Aeryon Sun -** You thought I'd given up on the story? I bet you were sure I had after this long break! I am so sorry! I'm glad that you liked Ryo's reaction, and I hope that you liked how he acted in this chapter too! I'm quite interested in your idea of a confrontation between Rose and Dee...watch out in the next chapter, I may actually put that in somewhere. And yup, I was fully aware of why Volume 7 was shrinkwrapped - but I knew I had to have it anyway! Ha ha!

**GreenEyedFloozy** - Well, here's your update! Not ended in such an evil place this time, but still...hmmmm.

**ll** - I wrote more, but it wasn't soon!

**Blood Tears Dying Angel -** Yeah, FAKE is awesome, right? The reason number 7 is never in the shops is probably the content - a lot of shops refused to sell it, even shrink wrapped. I got all of mine online, since only one shop near me sells manga, and even then it has a grand total of different series on sale - what a range...not.

**firgodes7 -** Yeah, I thought it was about time too! And I enjoyed them a lot. It was too short a chapter for me too, but I really wanted to leave it on those particular lines. I tried to make this chapter a bit longer too, but it didn't really work out. Later chapters will be much longer though!

**lynnea - **Yup, Dee has his work cut out for him now! He didn't end up in jail though, did he? That's gotta be something...I hate to say it though, but Dee won't get his man until much later...but until then - yummy good ol' chasing!

**Melantha Delmar -** I'm glad that you liked my characterisation and plot twist! I didn't update soon though...hope you're not angry! I liked you better happy!

**Ryo -** Continued!

**ColeridgeFan -** Again, updated, but not soon. Sorry about that!

Wow, guys...I really appreciated all the reviews I got for that last chapter. If I could get just as many this time, I would be even happier! Thanks so much!


	4. Never Said Goodbye

**Introduction**

An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee hadn't listened to Ryo's pleas? What if the bullet had hit Ryo, instead of the wall?

Torn apart by guilt, Dee can only watch as the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, leaving their growing relationship a broken and shattered one. And when Ryo announces that he's leaving, it looks like all of Dee's hopes for a future with the man he loves have become impossible to achieve.

With only himself to blame for the turn of events, Dee searches frantically for Ryo, only to find that his old partner seems to have disappeared for good. Is this the end of their crime busting team? Has Dee's mistake cost him his dream of being with Ryo?

_**As events unfold, two hearts are broken…**

* * *

_

**Chapter Four; Never Said Goodbye**

"Ryo!" Dee called, waving an arm frantically above his head to catch the attention of the blonde man by the window. Looking down at his enthusiastic partner, Ryo smiled softly before gesturing for Dee to come up, moving back out of sight.

Grinning widely, Dee raced up the stairs that led to Ryo's apartment, tightly gripping the small bunch of sunflowers he'd bought for Ryo on his way over here. Finally reaching the right floor, he raised his hand to knock on the door only to have Ryo swing it open before he could make contact.

"You came…I was hoping that you would. Why don't you come in? Bikky's not here, so you don't have to worry about being kicked in the face…" Ryo suggested, placing a tentative hand on Dee's arm.

Dee laughed gently, but shook his head at the offer, shoving his one free hand into his pocket shyly and thrusting out the sunflowers for Ryo to take.

"I was thinking we could maybe go for a walk? Ted told me that the roses are blooming at the park right now…" Dee's voice trailed off, and he peeked out at Ryo hopefully from under his messy fringe.

"Are these for me? How did you know I liked sunflowers so much, Dee?" Ryo breathed, fingering the yellow petals carefully. Moving back into the sitting room, he quickly placed them in a glass vase before grabbing his coat, pushing past Dee and locking the door behind him.

"I guess since you brought me sunflowers, I have no choice….the park it is then." Ryo chuckled, shaking his head slightly. Dee grinned back, jokingly reaching for Ryo's hand like a lover would – but to his surprise, instead of flushing a bright red and pulling back, Ryo simply smiled, blushed slightly and responded, curling his fingers round Dee's loosely.

Not wanting to push things, Dee made no comment, and settled for leading Ryo out of the apartment building, filing away the action for another day's conversation. The pair walked in silence down to one of the few green areas left in New York, and Dee couldn't help feeling relieved at the way things were going. He'd been preparing himself for a screaming match with Ryo, but so far the Japanese-American hadn't said a word about the shooting incident – if anything, Ryo was being much more affectionate than usual, as opposed to the cold rage Dee had been expecting.

"Dee? We're here." Ryo's soft voice broke into his thoughts, and Dee looked up to see that they were already by the gates of the park – he'd been so caught up in his thinking, he hadn't even noticed.

"Are you ok, Dee? We don't have to do anything…I can just call Bikky and go if you want…" Ryo said worriedly, putting a cool hand against Dee's forehead to see if he had a temperature.

Dee shook his head violently, grabbing Ryo's hand so that the blonde couldn't have moved away if he'd tried.

"No! I'm fine! I want to do this…I want to have the chance to persuade you not to go…" He murmured, moving Ryo's hand down to his mouth and pressing his lips against the palm.

Ryo breathed in sharply, mouth falling open slightly at the sensation of having a tongue flick briefly across his skin. Finally turning that traffic light red he was known for, Ryo mumbled something under his breath and jerked his hand away, hiding it behind his back.

"Dee! What did you think you were doing!" He hissed, glaring at the unregretful brunette. Dee shrugged, lacing his hands behind his neck.

"Convincing you not to go…did it work?" He quipped. Ryo paused for a moment, lifting his hand to look at it uncertainly, before glancing at Dee and breaking into a hesitant smile.

"I think…I think it did." He said in amazement, blushing and beginning to move towards Dee. Barely holding back a yell of triumph, Dee reached out to take the offered hand, already envisioning nights of passion, when…

A single shot rang out.

Suddenly, everything seemed to be in slow motion, every movement lasting for several seconds. Dee watched in horror as Ryo's eyes widened in pain, that sweet mouth opening in a silent scream of agony as a bloody flower suddenly blossomed through his shirt, jacket flying back to reveal the blood stained garment underneath.

Then abruptly, everything switched to normal again, and the remnants of Ryo's cry echoed round the park as he fell. Leaping forwards, Dee caught his injured partner and sank to the ground, breathing heavily in fear as he took in the already pale features of his crush and the open, lifeless eyes.

Letting out a primal roar of fury, Dee looked up to see who had dared to do such a thing…and froze as he saw the culprit.

It was him.

Dressed in one of his work suits, Dee stood in front of them, eyes flashing with murderous anger and arm outstretched, gun in his hand still smoking.

And Dee screamed.

* * *

"Noooooo!" Dee bolted upright, panting heavily and shaking all over as he tried to rid himself of the horrible dream he'd had, sheets tangled around his lower body from where he'd been tossing and turning in his sleep.

_>That's right, it was just a dream…just a dream. Calm down, Dee.>_ He told himself sternly, attempting to get a grip on himself. Freeing his legs from the greedy clutch of the duvet, Dee slid out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, tugging viciously on the cord and wincing when the light blazed into existence.

Turning on the tap, Dee splashed cold water onto his face, rubbing hard as if he could wash away the nightmare. Coughing slightly as he accidentally got water in his mouth, Dee stared at his reflection in the cabinet mirror, scowling at the dark bags under his eyes.

_>This isn't any good…I'll need to be at my best when I see Ryo off if I want to convince him to stay…only two days left until the end of the month after all…>_

Sighing, Dee staggered back to bed, dropping carelessly onto the much abused mattress. Pulling the covers back over him, he stared up at the ceiling and grimaced, wondering what would happen if he didn't manage to get Ryo to stay.

_>I'm not under house arrest any more…I'd drop by a day or two early, but he asked me not to…and I really can't afford to get him anymore angry at me than he is already.>_ He thought to himself, biting his lip unhappily. Rolling over onto his stomach, Dee shut his eyes and tried to relax, hoping to get rid of the bags around his eyes by getting some rest.

Sleep was a long time coming.

* * *

"Ryo? You wanted to see me?" Bikky asked, sticking his head into the apartment and frowning when he saw no one there. For some reason, Ryo had decided it would be better if Bikky moved in with Carol a few days before he left, saying that it would make it easier for him to pack. Although, Bikky didn't know why he'd had to move out a whole three days before Ryo was meant to be leaving.

"I'm in the bedroom, Bikky!" Ryo called. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Bikky sighed and made his way through the now empty apartment, wondering exactly why Ryo had already had the furniture from his sitting room taken away.

"Yo, Ryo! Why's the sitting room emp…ty…" Bikky's voice trailed away at the bare room in front of him, taking in the full suitcase that Ryo had open on the coverless bed and Ryo's determined expression.

"Ryo…? Why are you packing away your clothes! You're not going until the end of the month!" He blurted, panic suddenly welling up inside of him. Ryo paused, shoulders tense underneath the loose sweater he was wearing.

"No, Bikky. I'm leaving today. My taxi arrives in an hour." He said calmly, carefully zipping up his case and fastening the small padlock that hung off it.

"But you can't! I thought I still had two more days left with you…and, and…" He paused, blue eyes widening as he remembered something very important.

"You told Dee that you'd be leaving at the end of the month too! He's coming to see you off then!" He gasped. Ryo bit his lip, expression grim as he looked down at his hands.

"Exactly. This way I don't have to see him." He said, voice tinged with bitterness.

"So you lied to him…? Ryo, I know he hurt you, but that's not fair! I hate him, but even I know that!" Bikky pleaded.

"No! I don't want to see him! Never again!" Ryo snapped, dark eyes blazing furiously against his pale skin.

Bikky stared at him silently, before nodding reluctantly, showing that he had no choice but to accept his former carer's wishes.

"Fine…but I don't like it." He snapped, storming out of the room and into the bathroom, locking the door and collapsing down on the toilet.

Casting furtive glances at the door, Bikky silently drew a mobile out of his pocket and keyed in Dee's number, praying that the dark haired cop would pick up. >_You owe me one, dork.>

* * *

_

"What is it! Damnit, you better have a good reason for calling me in the middle of the night!" Dee snarled into the phone angrily.

/_In case you haven't noticed, it's nearly lunchtime, creep!_/

Dee paused, brow furrowed in confusion.

"It is?" He asked, glancing to the left and doing a double take as he saw the time. "Hang on….Bikky! Why the hell are you calling me?" He growled suspiciously.

/_Look, just shut up for once! Ryo lied to you, Dee! He's leaving today – his taxi's going to be here in just under an hour!_/

Dee froze, every muscle in his body stiffening in disbelief.

"Wha…no way…he wouldn't…I…damnit!"

/_Get your butt down here before you lose him, Dee! Oh crap, he's coming…I have to go! Get moving!_/

As Bikky hung up, Dee stayed staring at his mobile for a moment, before suddenly jumping into action, leaping out of bed and beginning to wrestle himself into his trousers. >_Oh Hell…>

* * *

_

Dee pelted down the sidewalk, feet slapping at the ground as he ran desperately towards Ryo's apartment, breath coming in short gasps as his tired lungs strived for air. Checking his watch, he cursed, increasing his speed further as he raced through New York.

At this rate he wasn't going to make it.

Everything had been going fine up until the point he'd spilt coffee all over himself, forcing him to run back into the apartment again to change, afraid that showing up less than perfect would further damage his chances with Ryo. Realising that he was running short on time, he'd then called a taxi, sliding gratefully into the back seat and beginning to mentally prepare himself for the conversation ahead.

It was then that Dee had realised that the taxi wasn't moving very far. Sticking his head out of the window, he had sworn angrily at the sight of the long traffic jam, wrenching the door open so that he could make a run for it. The driver had begun to protest hotly, claiming that even though he was getting out of the cab, Dee still owed him 15 dollars for the journey of all of 2 blocks.

Dee had glared at him before carelessly throwing the money through the cab driver's window, too worried about missing Ryo to make any angry response. And then he had begun running, desperately trying to reach Ryo before it was too late. Before Ryo left.

Which brought him up to now.

Letting out a gasp of relief, Dee rounded the corner of Ryo's block, legs nearly giving out on him as they reached the end of his limits. But the mere sight before him was enough to force them to keep moving, to block out any cries of pain his cramping muscles were giving.

Up ahead, Ryo was embracing Bikky tightly, a bright yellow New York taxi waiting for him at the edge of the road. Letting out a hoarse cry of alarm, Dee called out Ryo's name, watching in grief as the Japanese-American's dark eyes visibly hardened, ripples of tension suddenly appearing throughout his body.

"_Ryo_!" Dee yelled again, stretching out an arm in desperation, somehow knowing that he wasn't going to make the twenty metres left to the taxi. True to his fears, Ryo quickly swung himself into the taxi and leaned forward to tell the driver something, the taxi beginning to drive away barely seconds afterwards.

"Ryo! _Please_!" Dee screamed, falling to his knees in despair as the taxi picked up speed and vanished round the corner, taking his long time crush away from him.

And the last thing he saw of Ryo was a flash of honey coloured hair as the blonde twisted slightly to stare brokenly at him through the cab window.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

* * *

Sorry guys, this had to be a short one due to large amounts of coursework. No time to reply to all your lovely reviews this time, but I will next time - I promise!

Read and review!


	5. Seeing You Again

**Introduction**

An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee hadn't listened to Ryo's pleas? What if the bullet had hit Ryo, instead of the wall?

Torn apart by guilt, Dee can only watch as the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, leaving their growing relationship a broken and shattered one. And when Ryo announces that he's leaving, it looks like all of Dee's hopes for a future with the man he loves have become impossible to achieve.

With only himself to blame for the turn of events, Dee searches frantically for Ryo, only to find that his old partner seems to have disappeared for good. Is this the end of their crime busting team? Has Dee's mistake cost him his dream of being with Ryo?

**_As events unfold, two hearts are broken…._**

* * *

**Chapter Five; Seeing You Again**

Sighing, Dee stared out of the window, absent-mindedly tapping his pencil against the desk as he watched the rain trickle down the glass. Flicking his gaze back to the pile of paperwork that awaited him, he sighed again, before screwing his face into an expression of determination and finally putting pen to paper, forcing himself to do the one bit of police work he hated the most.

_>God, it's times like these that I miss Ryo…> _He thought moodily to himself, before realising what he'd just said and instantly freezing, emerald eyes widening in shock. He hadn't meant it that way…that had sounded like he only missed his partner because the blonde had been the one to write up all of the reports.

Yes, Dee missed having someone to do his share of the paperwork for him, but that wasn't the only reason that he was pining for Ryo. It wasn't even the main one. No, the real reason, the most important one of them all, was that he had loved the Japanese-American with all his heart, more than he'd ever loved anyone – even Mother. Before, all his relationships had been purely physical, mere flings where he purposely went after the most good looking girl (or guy) he could find, just so he could trip them into bed. But Ryo had changed all that.

And now Dee was lost, his heart shattered.

_>I love you Ryo…I love you so much…why did you leave me? Why did you fool me so that I'd miss the chance to even say goodbye?> _The answer came to him immediately; because Ryo hadn't wanted anything more to do with him. Focused on himself and his own crazy need for vengeance, Dee had finally brought the blonde to the end of his tolerance, bringing him crashing over the edge into loathing with a single, ill-placed bullet.

_>It's been two years…two whole years since I last saw you. How are you doing, baby? Did you manage to build another life for yourself? Or are you just lost and lonely like me?>_

The door to his office swung open almost silently, and a tanned face with black, tousled hair stuck itself round the corner.

"Dee? The Walrus wants the whole team in his office right now…something about the Commissioner arranging a meeting out of the blue." Steven announced, winking cheekily at the depressed looking Dee. "Cheer up! I'm sure the rain won't last long…and who knows, maybe the Commissioner finally recognised all of our hard work and decided to give us a pay rise!"

Dee snorted disbelievingly, getting up and reaching for his suit jacket, slinging it over his arm and exiting the office.

"Sure thing, Steve. And maybe the Badger's going to give us all a holiday too. Get real."

"Ah, whatever man. Let's just go, alright? He'll scalp us if we're late again this week." Steven sighed, leading the way through the station.

Staring at the back of his friend's head, Dee felt the sudden urge to scream, as if letting the world know how he felt inside would switch this impostor of a partner with the only person who'd ever been able to make him eager to get to work each day - Ryo. >_Not that Steven's a bad guy…hell, under other circumstances, I'd have been thrilled to have such a funny, upbeat partner. But I just can't seem to forget about Ryo, despite him being gone for so long. Steven may have been there for me these last two years…but it's Ryo that made this job truly worthwhile.> _

Shaking his head, Dee caught up to his partner and grimaced as they arrived at the Chief's office, hearing the steady murmur of voices already from inside._ >Huh…guess we were late after all_.> Glancing at Steven, the pair shared a look of resignation, before opening the door and entering together.

Promptly being blown back against the wall by the sheer power of the angry yell that came from within.

"You lazy idiots! How come everyone else manages to get here on time, but you two can't! That's the fourth time this week! Get your asses in here…NOW!" The Chief bellowed, shaking his fist at them as they slunk into the office and found themselves a spare bit of wall to lean against.

A pair of dark eyes coldly observed them for a moment, before their owner coughed lightly and smirked as all attention was drawn back to him.

"Well, as I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted by our latecomers here…" Berkeley Rose paused for a second, awarding Dee with a scornful smile. "I've decided that some of you deserve a break from the 27th precinct, so I'll be sending you away for a few months…complete with full pay, of course."

A stunned silence fell over the room before hushed whispers broke through, the whole of the Criminal Investigations section seemingly stunned by the generous offer.

"Did you hear that, Dee! Free holiday…with_ pay_!" Steven hissed excitedly, waiting for the exuberant reply he was expecting from Dee. But to his surprise, the dark haired cop merely raised a hand, the other tucked uncaringly in his trouser pocket.

"Yes, Detective Laytner?" Rose asked, noticing the silent call for attention.

"This all sounds very good…so what's the catch? If I'm right about slimy bastards like you, then you don't give anything away for free." Dee replied point blank.

The corner of Rose's mouth lifted in a mocking smile, and he nodded slowly, moving to the whiteboard set up against the wall and beginning to write.

"You're absolutely right, Detective Laytner. It looks like all these years of leeching off other people's effort finally paid off – you may have actually developed a brain."

Dee growled under his breath, but refused to rise to the challenge this time, instead focusing all of his attention on the words rapidly forming on the board.

"Star Investigations? What the hell's that? Another detective agency set up by another wannabe police officer?" Dee demanded scathingly, glaring at the confident Commissioner in front of him. If anything, Rose's smile just grew wider.

"Got it in one. Except that unlike other similar agencies, this has actually lasted – it's been open for nearly ten years now. And nearly every case that has been brought to its attention has been solved and turned over to the police for processing. We're not dealing with amateurs here – these people are qualified, able workers, who clearly know what they're doing."

"Sounds like they could be real cops if they wanted." Drake commented. Berkeley nodded, sticking a photo of a dark skinned man in his early forties on the board.

"Indeed. In fact, the founder and Chief Inspector of the agency used to actually be a Detective Sergeant for the NYPD, and was due for a promotion to head of his department when his partner was killed in a bungled drugs bust at a local warehouse. The cop, Carlton Smith, claimed that he wouldn't work for a force that only worked as well as its luck, and resigned, going off to set up his own detective agency."

"So what's that got to do with us? They're good at their job, so what?" Dee snapped. Rose chuckled under his breath, moving forwards to stare the other detective in the eye.

"So I've decided that it would be good if we could improve our own crime busting record by watching these guys in action. Therefore, I'll be sending five of you over to their agency for 3 months, where you'll partner up with the detectives at Star Investigations. In return, we'll be receiving five of their own workers."

Dee glared angrily at the Commissioner, his eyes narrowing.

"And let me guess…the ever present thorn in your side is one of those chosen to take part in the exchange, along with his partner." He said sarcastically.

"Not quite. As you'll be partnering up with the detectives there, it won't be necessary for you all to be kept in your pairs. So I'll just be sending the five people that I can stand the least." Rose smirked, watching the vein that was beginning to pulse in Dee's forehead with great satisfaction.

"Hmph. If the other detectives are so great, I may even be tempted to ask for the swap to become permanent." The Chief grunted, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"Aww, Chief, you know you love us really." Drake smiled, ignoring the rolled eyes he got in return.

"Ahem…anyway, the five officers that I've chosen for this exchange programme are Detectives Laytner, Parker, Griffin, Taylor and…" Rose's voice tailed away as he scanned the room, looking for another person to send. Eyes falling on JJ as the hyperactive cop accidentally knocked over the pot of pencils balanced on the Chief's desk, Berkeley's lip curled in distaste and he turned to face the rest of the room again.

"…And Adams. Any questions?" He finished quickly. Drake nodded, raising a hand to get Rose's attention.

"Um, yeah…you said that we wouldn't be sent in pairs…but JJ's my partner, so shouldn't…" He began, before being cut off by a wave of Rose's hand.

"Yes, but I'm making an exception in your case – Detective Adams is simply too annoying. It doesn't matter anyway, as you'll be split up on arrival. Any other questions? No? Then meeting dismissed – could the five chosen please report to my office for more information in half an hour? Thankyou." Rose finished, before breezing out of the room as he if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Annoying! Annoying my ass! I can't help it if I'm a klutz sometimes!" JJ seethed. Drake nodded half heartedly, not really listening.

"I wonder how my girl's going to take the news that I won't be around to take her out for the evening for a while?" He wondered glumly. Ted laughed, clapping his friend on the back.

"Relax…she'll just dump you again! She always comes back, right dude?" He joked. Dee raised an eyebrow, pointing a thumb towards the door.

"No offence, Ted, but why are you still here? Shouldn't you be back researching your current case with Marty right now?" He asked. Ted blinked in mild confusion at the question.

"Hello? Where have you been these last few years? _I'm _Detective Griffin…you've seriously known me that long without even knowing my last name? Damnit, Dee…" Dee flushed, raising his hands as if to defend himself from the accusations.

"Whatever, I'm sorry…by the way Mandy, what the hell did you do to get up Berkeley's nose?" He asked, turning his head to face the blonde woman currently leaning against the doorframe.

"Called him a self-righteous asshole when he started flirting with me the same day I got transferred in. Hasn't liked me since." She said shortly, tossing her long hair over her shoulder and shooting Ted a sexy wink that had the redhead drooling.

Amanda, or Mandy, Taylor had transferred to the 27th a few months after Ryo had left, after being kicked out of the 21st for repeatedly slamming her Chief's head against a filing cabinet after he'd tried to grope her chest. With the absence of major perverts around, she'd calmed down considerably…but that wasn't to say she'd let guys like Rose push her around.

Dee whistled, tucking his hands behind his head as he leaned back against the wall.

"Bet that ticked him off – slimeball's probably used to girls throwing themselves at him." He commented.

"You bet. You should have seen his face…it went all slack and pale, as if someone had just…" Amanda began, when a light cough redirected their attention to the Chief.

"In case you'd forgotten…this is my _office_ you're just standing around and chatting in! Get out! The lot of you!" He roared, sending them scurrying for the hills. Shaking his head, the older man got up and shut the door, sinking back into his seat with a small smile on his face.

"I love my job…"

* * *

"So to sum up, you'll be put up in temporary lodgings for the three months, seeing as how it would be too far for you to travel from here to the other side of the city. You'll receive your normal wages direct to your bank accounts, and what you'll actually be working on will be determined by who Chief Inspector Smith pairs you up with. Is that clear?" 

A chorus of grunts answered Rose's question, and the Commissioner sighed, rubbing at the headache rapidly forming behind his left temple.

"Fine. Get out of here then, and report to the agency bright and early tomorrow for your first day." He muttered, dropping into his chair and swivelling to gaze out the window.

Hearing the sound of footsteps and assuming that everyone had left, Rose stood to shut the door, only to swing around in shock as he heard the sound of it clicking closed.

"Detective Laytner? What on earth are you still doing here? " He demanded, glaring at the cocky cop. Dee just shrugged, emerald eyes burning.

"Just wanted to verify a few things. The only reason you chose me for this stupid exchange programme was because I'm the one who made Ryo leave before you could get your dirty little paws on him, right?" Dee said calmly, gaze even as he stared at the blonde Commissioner.

Rose's lip curled for the second time that day, and he nodded, moving round his desk to stand directly in front of Dee, silently challenging his subordinate to continue with his line of questioning.

"Yes, I have to admit that it was a rather large in factor in my decision. Because of you, the 27th lost one of the best cops that it's ever had, simply because one of its own forgot that to be someone's 'partner' means you have to actually think of them once in a while, and watch out for them." He paused, a sly gleam suddenly appearing in his eye.

"And of course, when I say 'think' I don't mean the lust-induced fantasies that you lived your life around." He said cuttingly. Dee's eyes widened in fury, and the next thing Rose knew, he was being bent backwards against his desk at what had before seemed to be an impossible angle, Dee's grip on his collar almost unbearably tight.

"You asshole! You think that what I felt for Ryo was just lust? I'm not a pompous git like you – when I say I love someone, I really mean it! I cared for Ryo more than anything else in the world!" Dee spat.

"Enough to shoot him?" Rose shot back. Dee growled, raising the blonde's head a few inches above the desk before slamming it back down to painfully connect with the varnished wood.

"Shut the hell up! What do you know, anyway? The only times you ever spoke to the guy were when you were trying to come up with an excuse to get him into your apartment!" Dee snarled. Rose winced at the sharp pain in his head, glaring up at his attacker.

"You think you know me, Detective Laytner? I'm not the sort of person who'd have just got him into bed and then abandoned him the next morning – I fully intended to date him properly! It would have been Ryo's choice how far we went in the end…I only wanted to make sure he knew that I was interested! You're the one who never really understood him!" Rose snapped angrily, before leaning his weight back and bringing his legs up to kick Dee off of him, sending the dark haired cop to the floor.

"Shit!" Dee cursed, lifting a hand to wipe at the blood now freely pouring down his face, feeling gingerly for the head wound that the heels on Berkeley's shoes had inflicted. "You damn bastard…you make it sound like you were the only one that cared for him…but he was_ my _partner damnit, and I knew him the longest! I knew things about him that you could never hope to learn! I spent weeks trying to find out where he went after he left – I checked every single database known to mankind for a Ryo Maclean living in the United States of America, and I got nothing! I even went begging to the little brat he used to care for, only to learn that Ryo had never given an address where he could be reached! So don't you _dare_ say I don't care about him!" Dee fumed, anger coming off him in waves.

Rose stared at him silently for a moment, before loosening his tie and collapsing back into his seat, not looking at Dee as he waved his hand towards the door.

"Get out of here, Detective. And count yourself lucky that I don't intend to report you for assault." He said quietly, his voice lacking the usual confidence it normally held.

Dee blinked, gazing at him uncertainly. Then he turned and left without a word, taking care to shut the door behind him.

* * *

"Well…I guess this is it, guys…" Drake murmured, looking up from the piece of paper he was holding at the building in front of him. "This is the address that the Commissioner gave us…" 

Ted frowned, hands in his pockets as he surveyed the average looking building.

"But how can we be sure? There's nothing to say it's an actual detective agency – how could they be getting so many clients?" He pointed out. A derisive snort sounded, and the group of men looked back to see Amanda standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Maybe because their clients aren't dumb enough to miss the huge sign pasted in the second floor window?" She said scathingly, pointing. The others followed her finger, flushing as they saw the neon star painted onto said window, the name of the agency standing out clearly from the yellow background.

"Right…well now that we've just proven our inadequacy at finding things, why don't we just turn around and show the world how much we suck at other police work?" Dee suggested lightly, getting ready to do an about-turn.

"Fine, chicken boy. But don't come crying to me when the others call you a coward, De_lia_." Mandy called. Dee glared at her, sticking his nose in the air as he marched straight up to the building's door, shoving it open.

"Why don't you just shut your mouth, Mandy, and let the big boys do their work, alright?" He retorted, leading the way up the stairs. Behind him, Amanda rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Men. So easily manipulated."

* * *

"So, you're the exchange officers, then. You must have only just missed my own detectives – I sent them over as soon as I'd finalised the arrangements with your Commissioner. They probably arrived not long after you'd left." Carlton Smith smiled, shaking each of the cops by the hand and gesturing for them to sit down on the seats set up for them. JJ smiled brightly, positively bouncing at the change in his usual surroundings. 

"Yup, that's us! Ignore whatever our Commissioner may have said about us, we won't let you down Chief Inspector Smith!" He chirped. Smith grinned and shook his head in reply, leaning back in his chair.

"There's no need to be so formal here…JJ, was it? Just call me Carlton. At Star Investigations, we call everyone by their first names, regardless of rank or status. That's the main difference that you'll notice between here and an actual police station – other than that, we work in practically the same manner."

Dee blinked, unable to imagine working in a place where everyone was addressed so casually. From day one at the academy, it had been drilled into his head that he should always address his superiors by their rank – this would take some getting used to.

"So what exactly will we be doing here? All we were told was that our tasks would be determined by whoever we got paired up with." Drake said, glancing casually at where JJ was sitting. It looked like he was vaguely put out by the fact that he'd have to work with someone other than JJ for the time spent here.

Noticing his miffed look, Carlton laughed, running his hand carelessly through his hair.

"Yes, as all my workers are currently working on cases of their own, it only makes sense that you'll be working on them too – the object of this little swap is for us to share investigative techniques, remember? And Drake, there's no need to look so glum – if you want, we have a large case that requires two teams of people to work through it. I'll put you and JJ with the two detectives already working on it." He smiled.

Drake sighed in faint relief, his expression being unconsciously mirrored by the now calmer looking JJ. Ted, Amanda and Dee, on the other hand, were looking fairly unsettled by the thought of being launched into investigations with people that they didn't even know the names of yet.

"Anyway, the basic information on Star Investigations…we're a fairly small team of people – even when we're all here, there are only 15 of us, including myself. Each partner team has their own office, although it's generally only large enough for them, two desks and the necessary filing cabinets. You're free to take a break whenever you want one, as long as the work gets done – we have a special room set aside for that purpose just down the hall."

Surveying the team of detectives in front of him, Carlton smiled reassuringly, standing up and gesturing for them to do the same.

"So if you follow me, I'll take you down to the Recreation room and introduce you to the guys. Ok?" He announced, walking through the door and down the hall, checking back over his shoulder to make sure that they were following him.

Arriving at what looked to be a fairly large room a few doors down, Carlton pushed the door open, letting it swing back on its hinges as he indicated for the 27th precinct detectives to move inside, stepping ahead and beginning to introduce his own team as they filed in behind him.

"Ok, starting from the right, we have Jake Gillian, Sarah Arkwright, Andrew Baxter, Daniel Parry, Matthew Harris, Alex Trelawney, Lisa Whitton, and…where's he gone? Oh, there he is, hiding away in the corner with his books – _as usual_. But anyway, that's…"

"Ryo…" Dee breathed, and a pair of startled dark eyes lifted to meet his gaze with their own.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

* * *

Well, another chapter finally finished! Sorry it took so long...I actually have no excuses this time either - I just got caught up writing for my other fics. In case anyone was wondering, I made up Ted's last name, as it's never mentioned in the manga or the OAV. I also made up the fact that he's Marty's partner, just because everyone seems to know Marty, but we never know why. 

And finally...FAKE characters of my own! Watch out for Amanda, Andrew and Lisa especially...I'm planning to put more focus on them than the other self-created characters, although I have a soft spot for poor old Carlton already. Amanda's going to be putting some spanners in the works when it comes to Dee and Ryo's relationship too...tune in to find out!

Oh, and the fight between Dee and Berkeley? That was inspired by AeryonSun's review of Chapter 2, where a confrontation between Rose and Dee was mentioned - thanks for the idea! Please read and review everybody!

**firgodes7** - I'm sorry that things didn't get better for Dee just yet...but at least he's found Ryo, ne?

**Blood Tears Dying Angel** - Dee's still all heartbroken! I really torture my bishies, don't I?

**AeryonSun** - Oh yeah, Ryo's definitely pissed! Which is good, because now I'm having fun building a new character for him...but that's not to say that the real Ryo isn't going to start showing up again as the story progresses! By the way, was that confrontation thing ok?

**Nariel** - Eeek! Don't cry! You're making me feel all guilty!

**LKTLB** - Yes, poor Dee...will things ever go right for him?

**GreenEyedFloozy** - Don't cry! (Whoa, I'm making a lot of people cry in my fics...and not just in this one...oops)

**Megamie **- I'm sorry that Ryo is being so evil...but I'm primarily an angst writer, so I like to put my characters through hell before I even think of giving them a happy ending - that's my preferred writing style. But at least it looks like he's going to get closure, ne?

**gPhoenix513 **- Is that right? Is that a g before Phoenix? I couldn't tell...but anyway...go the angst! I love writing stuff like that! Have you got the rest of the series yet? When you get to the last book, go on and look for the epilogue chapter that was never published in America/England - some of the pairings may surprise you! Heh...and by the way, you actually did spell congratulations right...but not the word wrong...(sweatdrop)


	6. Harsh Reality

**Introduction**

An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee hadn't listened to Ryo's pleas? What if the bullet had hit Ryo, instead of the wall?

Torn apart by guilt, Dee can only watch as the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, leaving their growing relationship a broken and shattered one. And when Ryo announces that he's leaving, it looks like all of Dee's hopes for a future with the man he loves have become impossible to achieve.

With only himself to blame for the turn of events, Dee searches frantically for Ryo, only to find that his old partner seems to have disappeared for good. Is this the end of their crime busting team? Has Dee's mistake cost him his dream of being with Ryo?

**_As events unfold, two hearts are broken…._**

* * *

**Chapter Six; Harsh Reality**

"Ryo…" Dee breathed, and a pair of startled dark eyes lifted to meet his gaze with their own.

Those brown eyes instantly hardened as they settled on Dee, and their owner smoothly got to his feet, carelessly dropping the book he had been reading onto the coffee table. Ignoring his former colleagues, Ryo squeezed past the group in the doorway and quickly started off down the corridor, muttering something about finishing up his paperwork.

"Ryo! Ryo, wait!" Dee yelled after him, ignoring the startled looks of confusion he was getting from the Star Investigations staff. Getting no response from the blonde he made to pursue him, only for arms to wrap around him and restrain him.

"Cool it, Dee…let him be for the moment. I know you've been looking for him these last two years, but it's gotta be a shock for him seeing you again after so long." Drake pointed out sensibly.

"I guess…" Dee sighed, allowing his friends to lead him back into the Recreation Room.. Taking in the stunned faces of his soon-to-be workmates he smiled sheepishly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck with a calloused hand.

"Looks like Ryo never explained why he left his old job, huh?" He guessed.

Carlton blinked, visibly getting a hold on himself as his ordered brain took in the confusing scene before him and dissected it, drawing out the most important information for him to analyse.

"Ryo? You mean Randy?" He paused, turning the facts over in his mind. "I can't ever recall someone calling him by that name before."

Dee froze, green eyes widening almost comically as he realised his mistake. No wonder searching for Ryo hadn't found any results…Randy _was_, after all, his given name, and what Ryo would be going by now that he didn't work at the 27th precinct. Dee could have kicked himself for being so stupid.

"I…Ryo's his Japanese name. I kinda took to calling him by it when we first started out as partners together." He said weakly.

"Oh…you mean he actually partnered someone?" The woman previously identified as Lisa said in surprise. Dee frowned in confusion, not understanding what she was talking about.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean…" He began hesitantly.

"That's enough Lisa. I'm sure Randy wouldn't like being talked about behind his back, hmm?" Carlton interrupted, cutting into the conversation before Lisa could say anything else.

Moving to the whiteboard in the corner of the room, he began to jot down names, scanning the piece of paper he had in his hands to make sure he hadn't missed anyone before ripping it up and dropping the pieces into a small box.

"Now, let's work out who's partnering who…" Glancing at the room full of expectant faces that were gazing at him so trustingly, he sweatdropped and held out the box weakly.

"Ready to choose partners?"

* * *

As Dee made his way slowly down to the corridor to his office for the next few months, he felt a distinct sense of foreboding. Coupled with the stormy atmosphere ahead and the sharp twisting in his gut, he was about ready to run and hide. Even though he knew full well that his friends were still in the Recreation Room behind him, the corridor seemed unnaturally subdued and silent. 

That silence was suddenly shattered by a loud bang from up ahead, accompanied by the crash of several things falling to the floor.

"No! I won't! There is no way in Hell that I'm partnering that treacherous idiot!"

Biting his lip, Dee quietly moved towards the source of the noise. Peeking through the crack of the not entirely closed door, he watched as Ryo glared furiously at Carlton, his hands resting on the desk as if they'd been viciously slammed down on top of it. An upturned tray with folders spilled across the floor explained what the crashing sound had been.

"Look, I don't know what happened between you and Dee in the past, but I do know that it was your name he pulled out of the box. Which means that _you'll_ be his partner for the next 3 months." Carlton said seriously, his demeanour calm despite the pure rage radiating from Ryo in front of him.

"Then partner him with someone else! I'm telling you this right now, Carlton…I will not work with him!" Ryo snapped hotly.

At these words Carlton scowled, loudly slamming a hand down onto the desk to join Ryo's own trembling ones.

"Ryo, I will not tolerate this sort of behaviour! Ever since you started work here you've stubbornly refused to work with a partner, making up excuses about bad teamwork or your partner's incompetence. I turned a blind eye to it because you're a damn good cop, but I can't ignore it anymore! We accepted this arrangement to foster a good relationship with the 27th precinct, and you damn will partner Dee Laytner, or you'll be kicked out of the agency! Do you understand!"

Ryo slowly sank back into his chair, the fight almost visibly going out of him as he stared bitterly up at his supervisor.

"Yes _sir_." Carlton's face softened and he sighed to himself, raking a hand through his hair as he moved to lean against the wall.

"I'm sorry Ryo…but there _aren't_ any other people for Dee to partner with – not withMike retired now. I don't know why you have so many issues about having a partner, but I think it's time you worked them out, don't you?" He asked softly. Ryo said nothing, merely bowing his head in both defeat and acknowledgement.

Outside of the room, Dee stood with his back pressed against the wall, emerald eyes wide with shock as he took in what he had just seen and heard. How deeply had he hurt Ryo for the wound to still be open after so long? For Ryo to continue to shy away from having a partner? Remembering back to how friendly and warm Ryo had once been, Dee felt sick as he realised the immensity of the change he had wrought in Ryo.

Stealing himself for the fireworks he was sure would come, Dee moved away from the wall and rapped on the door before he listened to his more cowardly side. Somehow he knew that if he waited any longer he'd lose his nerve…and then he'd never get a chance to make Ryo forgive him.

There was a moment of awkward silence on the other side of the door, and Dee could almost imagine the concerned look Carlton would be giving Ryo, the way the blonde would be stubbornly glaring down at his lap and refusing to look up. Then Carlton's rich tones called out for him to come in, and Dee did so hesitantly, not missing the venomous look he got from Ryo as he entered.

"Ah, Dee. Well, this is Randy, your partner for the next few months…but as you already know each other I'll leave you two to get reacquainted." Pausing a moment to clap his hand reassuringly onto Ryo's shoulder, Carlton left the room without further fuss.

Immediately, Dee felt the air around them drop several degrees, and he winced as he glanced at Ryo only to see the honey blonde glaring hatefully at him,

"Look Ryo, I…I just want you to know that I didn't rig the selection. I honestly didn't think that I'd…"

"Randy."

"Huh?"

"My name's Randy, not Ryo. I'd appreciate it if you called me by my real name."

Dee froze, his mouth working silently for a moment as he struggled to come to terms with this other change in their already unrecognisable relationship. To him, Ryo had always, _always_ been Ryo…to call him Randy now would mean…

"Ry…Randy, I…" He said helplessly.

"Paper's in the cabinet behind me, pens and pencils can be found in the desk drawers. There's a computer on each desk, but we mostly write things up by hand here, so you won't be needing it. Any questions, ask and I'll explain. Got it?"

Seeing Dee's shocked expression at his cold tone, Ryo shrugged uncaringly, sneering slightly at his stupefied partner.

"Just because we're partners again it doesn't mean that things will just go back to the way they used to be. We work together, we get the job done. That's all." He said icily. Moving to the filing cabinet behind him, Ryo yanked out a folder and dropped it casually onto the desk, indicating for Dee to pick it up.

"That's my current case. Take the day to read it and get to grips with it. Until tomorrow morning you're free to do whatever you want." Taking the file with trembling hands, Dee's grip suddenly tightened until his knuckles turned white, and he whipped around to seize Ryo's wrist before the blonde could make it out of the door.

"Damnit _Ryo_! If you think I'm just going to give up on you, then you've got another thing coming! I love you so much it freakin' hurts, and I'm not going to just let you go! I…" Dee's voice, already choked with emotion, trailed away as he took in Ryo's shocked and flustered expression, his eyes widening slightly as they came to rest on Ryo's parted lips. For a moment, it was as if they were back at the 27th precinct, and Dee found himself slowly leaning forwards…only for the illusion to shatter as Ryo's expression suddenly closed off, yanking his arm free of Dee's hold.

"Do whatever you want Dee. But just remember one thing – _I could never love you_." The words slammed into Dee like a freight train and, as he stood there reeling, Ryo took the chance to escape. For a moment Dee was frozen. Then, with a loud gasp, he dropped to his hands and knees, a choked sob escaping him. Trembling violently, he started as he felt two streams of tears flowing down his cheeks, and hastily moved to wipe them away.

_>All this time, all this waiting…only to have all my hopes crushed.>_ Dee thought bitterly, curling in on himself. Feeling a fresh wave of tears threaten to strike, Dee wrapped his arms around his waist like he had once dreamed Ryo might do one day. In all the months he'd pursued Ryo, the blonde had never outright rejected him before. Sometimes been angry at being kissed, yes. Harshly claimed that it was pointless trying, no. And it hurt more than Dee had thought possible.

Had Ryo ever known how serious he was about him? That his 'I Love You's weren't meaningless? Sure, in the beginning Dee had just been joking around with him since he was so damn uptight, but after a while, after he'd spent more time with him…Dee had realised that his feelings for his partner really did run deeper than simple camaraderie and respect for a fellow colleague. He'd begun to pray that Ryo would stay close to him forever.

_>But because of my stupidity, my prayers can never be answered.>_ He realised, bowing his head. >_Because with one bullet I didn't just ruin any chance I ever had of getting with Ryo…I destroyed the man I love and replaced him with some stranger that I don't even recognise.>_

_>God, what have I done?>

* * *

_

Dee emerged from the office half an hour later, looking much more worse for wear than he had been when he'd entered it. Anyone who knew him at all would have seen immediately that something was severely wrong with the dark haired cop…and as luck would have it, someone who knew him _extremely_ well was there to see it too.

"Dee? Dee? Honey, are you ok?" There was the sound of clicking heels as someone ran to him, and Dee looked up to see Amanda's worried face staring at him, brown eyes searching his face for any sign of what had happened.

"Mandy…" He mumbled, and a perfectly manicured hand reached up to cup his face, its thumb stroking his cheek reassuringly.

"I'm here, Dee…what on earth happened? You look like Hell…"

Dee chuckled bitterly, the sound shockingly unnatural in its falsity. Even more concerned now, Amanda shot her new partner a look over her shoulder, silently begging him to give them some space. Getting the hint Alex nodded, bending to pick up the box of files Amanda had carelessly abandoned in her worry for Dee and making his way back to his office.

Satisfied that they had privacy now, Amanda took Dee's hand and gently led him over to seating put out for visiting civilians, sitting and tugging Dee down after her.

"Dee, honey, you have to tell me what's wrong, or I can't help you…" She murmured patiently, waiting for her friend to open up and say what was bothering him. When it finally became apparent that no response was coming, however, she quickly grew aggravated.

"For God's sake, Dee! Stop wallowing in your misery and tell me what's wrong like a man! Don't make me do something I'll regret…" She threatened, grabbing Dee's chin with one hand and yanking his face to the side, forcing him to look at her. On seeing the tears clinging to his dark eyelashes, words failed her for a moment. Then, her eyes narrowed and the next thing Dee knew his cheek was stinging from the blow she'd just dealt him, the sound ringing round the corridor.

On the plus side though, the pain had at least cleared his head enough for him to get a grip on himself.

"Sorry Mandy…I just lose control there…I _am_ alright though, I promise." He said hoarsely, shooting Amanda a worn, weary grin. The blonde woman hesitated for a moment before returning it, moving to affectionately smooth some strands of hair back from his face.

"I'm sorry I had to hit you, Dee…but you just wouldn't listen…"

"It's _fine_, Mandy. I honestly left you no choice." Dee said firmly.

"But…" Amanda gazed at him for a moment, before sighing and looking away, a small smile pasted over her features. "I just want you to know that I'm always willing to listen to you, Dee…so if you ever need to talk, feel free to call me, whatever the time. Although if it's anytime past midnight I can't be responsible for my actions the next day." She joked.

"What are you going to do? The same thing 'you'll regret'?" Dee asked lightly, green eyes twinkling with something similar to their old sparkle once again.

"Well…let's just say that I may be motivated to remove a certain part of your anatomy that it would be a _real_ shame for you to lose…" She smirked, practically purring the words as she leaned close to breathe them into his ear.

Dee jerked back, swallowing hard at the smouldering look he saw in her eyes for a moment, before it was veiled once more.

"But I honestly do mean it, Dee…I'll always be here for you." Amanda said quietly, wrapping her arms around Dee and pulling him closer into her embrace. At first, Dee merely sat frozen. But then he surrendered to the friendly comfort she was offering, hesitantly returning the hug and burying his face into her hair.

Neither one saw the other man standing at the end of the corridor, watching them with his fists clenched slightly as he saw their embrace.

Even if they had, he was too far away for them to see the look of pain that washed over his features for the briefest of moments before being carefully smoothed away.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

* * *

You all have permission to kill me now - two months! How on earth did I leave this for two months? I'm so sorry everyone! I lost my inspiration for this fic temporarily, but it's back now! I'll hopefully update quicker next time!Thank God for science lessons - perfect writing time! (Sweatdrop)

I hope Amanda came across all right then...I don't want her to seem like someone out to cause trouble for anyone, or another JJ...I've actually grown quite fond of her now! And who saw them? Dun dun dun! (As if you can't guess).

I'm also taking Nariel's example and shamelessly advertising **my newest fic, Kawazu No Koishii** - it's an Eerie Queerie one, so if you like that series please check it out! Read and review please!

PS...if anyone can message me and recommend some good TsumexToboe Wolf's Rain fics, I'd really appreciate it...I just got into the anime, and I just adore that pairing!

* * *

**Blood Tears Dying Angel** - Heh...that wasa while? What about this time's update? Thanks for your comments!

**ColeridgeFan **- Yay! Mandy fan! And yup, I'm English - and 'git' has to one of my favourite words! But there are so few opportunities to use it...sigh. I also got banned from using the email system at school because I called someone a git through it...stupid filter system.

**sweetrosey** - You hate me? (Gets watery eyed) I hope you really didn't die while waiting for my next chapter...

**Melantha Delmar -** Well, you guessed it! Ryo's new partner is Dee! I toyed with the idea of putting Mandy with him, but I don't think it would have given me enough chances to get my beloved bishies together, so Dee it was! Thanks for your comments!

**sdl -** I'm so sorry I left you hanging and took so long to update! And yup...very obvious, but that's my author's right as a cliched shonen-ai fangirl! (winks)

**AeryonSun -** Wow! Thanks for your comments! They really gave me a boost! And yes, those two are just so brach and obnoxious...they really should clash as much as possible! I'm glad you like Mandy too!

**Nariel -** You scare me...you love making people cry? Ha ha...did Ryo get partnered with who you thought he would? Oh, and about your fic and my lack of reviewing it on the other site...I swear someone told me you couldn't review without being a member there, so sorry! But at least I reviewed it here!

**firgodes7** - Sorry I left you waiting so long...and we finally saw what happened between them!

**tammy-love** - Ever considered a career as the voice over person at the end of anime episodes? Hmm...some of those ideas are quite good...but nope, Ryo hasn't forgiven him! You baka, Ryo!

**GreenEyedFloozy **- That's my reaction to Ryo too! I love him to bits! No wonder he was voted most popular FAKE character! Oh, and I reviewed some of your work the other day - write more please!

**Lady-Willowish** - Yup, he so needs a hug...up for the job? And that scene in the manga...I really wish Sanami Matoh had actually written this happening!...although then I wouldn't have had the chance to put my favourite FAKE bishies through such lovely angst!

**gPhoenix513** - Yeah...it's a wonder Dee hasn't exploded by now, if you know what I mean...(wink) Sorry the update took so long! And about someone being with Ryo...you should find out in the next chapter, so keep an eye out!


	7. Bad Territory

**Introduction**

An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee hadn't listened to Ryo's pleas? What if the bullet had hit Ryo, instead of the wall?

Torn apart by guilt, Dee can only watch as the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, leaving their growing relationship a broken and shattered one. And when Ryo announces that he's leaving, it looks like all of Dee's hopes for a future with the man he loves have become impossible to achieve.

With only himself to blame for the turn of events, Dee searches frantically for Ryo, only to find that his old partner seems to have disappeared for good. Is this the end of their crime busting team? Has Dee's mistake cost him his dream of being with Ryo?

**_As events unfold, two hearts are broken…._**

* * *

**Chapter Seven; Bad Territory**

Watching the sentimental scene in front of him, Ryo felt his gut twist. Just the sight of Dee in Amanda's arms, _holding_ her, was enough to send a hot wave of emotion through him, making him clench his fists tightly as he strove to squash certain feelings he'd rather not have.

After all, it wasn't as if he actually still cared about Dee, was it? And it certainly wasn't like part of him secretly _wanted_ to be held like that, to have Dee's face buried in his shoulder. He'd said as much to Dee only half an hour ago, watched the look of shellshocked pain travel across the darker man's features as the words slammed into him. And he'd felt no small sense of satisfaction in seeing the man who had caused his heart so much hurt suffer like that.

Although, he mused to himself, it _had_ had a much greater affect on Dee that he'd originally planned. He'd never thought that the other cop had actually been serious as he persisted in declaring his feelings for Ryo again and again…he'd thought it had all been one big joke to his partner. Perhaps on some level he'd realised the true meaning behind those confessions, but he'd never allowed himself to even consider them seriously. Maybe if he _had_ known Dee was being serious, he would have…

Ryo stiffened, his thoughts quickly shuffling away from where they had been headed. What lay in that direction was much more dangerous than the back alleys he frequently had to roam during his cases, and he had no intention of getting mixed up in it again.

Turning sharply and striding away, Ryo changed his mind about going back to his office, not willing to pass the couple as they embraced each other so closely. Instead, he simply made for the Recreation Room, seeking solitude.

Unfortunately for him, Dee wasn't the only one who'd been given the afternoon off to come to grips with his new case.

"Hmm? Oh, hi Ryo…long time no see, huh?" Ryo started at the familiar voice, caught off guard for a moment before he saw the man sitting in the corner of the room, file open on his lap. And suddenly he was smiling, moving to sit in the chair across from his former colleague, dark eyes shining warmly.

"I prefer Randy now, Drake. But it really has been a long time…two years…it's hard to believe, really. How's your girl? Carla, right?" Ryo asked. Drake snorted, looking down at his lap dejectedly.

"Hmph. We're barely hanging on, if you know what I mean. She flipped out when I said I'd be away for so long…to tell the truth, I don't know if she'll still be waiting for me when I get back to New York."

Ryo winced in sympathy.

"Owch. Sorry, man. But at least you'll get the chance to go out with someone less high maintenance then. Is that the case Andrew and Dan have you working on?"

"Yeah…it's a real tough one too. I'd never have thought a detective agency would deal with this kind of thing…I mean, murders? No offence, but I've always thought of agencies like this dealing with smaller cases like theft or spying on people's spouses." Drake said truthfully.

Ryo laughed, shaking his head as he leaned over to glance at the file.

"It's true, we don't usually deal with murder cases here. The one you're working on was deemed unsolvable by the police, and as the victim's husband couldn't accept that he asked us to look into it. Normally, I guess we really do work on smaller cases than the actual police, but we still accept more serious ones too – it all depends on the client."

"And you don't leave any stone unturned, do you? Have you seen how much information those four compiled on the case before me and JJ got here? No wonder Dan told us to take the afternoon off to read it!" Drake exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the thick wad of papers currently balancing precariously on his lap.

"Or he just wanted to make out with Andrew…" Ryo muttered.

"Say what now!"

"Andrew and Dan are a couple. You seriously didn't realise? Man, I'd have thought Dan's wandering hands would have made their relationship obvious." Ryo said, mildly surprised at the fact that Daniel had managed to get enough of a grip on his hormones to hide the fact that he was dating his partner.

"Well, I thought Dan was being a bit touchy feely, but I didn't think he was being serious…" Drake admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed at not working it out sooner. Ryo shrugged, getting up to make himself a cup of coffee.

"I guess Andrew gave him a talking to about not scaring the newbies. But I'm warning you now – if you and JJ don't end up walking in on one of their little sessions at least once before you leave, then you'll be some seriously lucky men. Dan is incapable of holding back, and Andrew just can't say no him."

Drake chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the very slight blush on Ryo's cheeks.

"I guess you'd know from experience, huh?"

"Got that right. In my very first week I somehow managed to walk in on them a grand total of 9 times…although in my defence the Recreation Room is _not_ a private area."

Drake laughed again, studying the blonde silently as Ryo waited patiently for the coffee machine to finish. It was hard to believe that this was the same blonde who had so coldly stormed out of the room when he'd seen Dee…apart from his sudden aversion to his Japanese name, Ryo was exactly how he'd been back at the 27th precinct, before he got shot by Dee.

"So what's been happening down at the 27th since I've been gone? Any interesting cases?" Ryo questioned, making a small noise as the machine beeped, informing him that his coffee was ready. Drake paused to think.

"Not really…same old, same old…although we did have a run in with an FBI agent called Diana Spacey when a guy she'd been investigating in LA for killing his sister made it to New York…would you believe that she and the Commissioner were childhood friends? Creeped me out, if you ask me. And then I guess there was…"

"Drake! Carlton said we didn't have to stick around, so let's go back to the hotel! I'm friggin' horny, so…_gah_!"

Drake froze as his partner burst through the door, the shorter man screeching to a halt as he saw that Drake wasn't alone. On his part, Ryo's eyes were almost impossibly wide as he made a choking sound, mouth opening and shutting silently as he struggled to get his head round the situation.

"Damnit, JJ! Didn't you stop to think that someone else could have been here!" Drake exclaimed, shooting a concerned look at the still choking Ryo. Taking a deep breath, he moved slowly towards the blonde, hand reaching out nervously to grab JJ's for support.

"Look Ry…_Randy_, the thing is…Carla and I split up nearly a year ago. I've been pretending that I'm still dating her to cover up my relationship with JJ…he's been pretending that he's still obsessed with Dee too." Drake said haltingly, squeezing JJ's hand slightly as he felt the other man tense in uneasy anticipation of Ryo's response.

"But…you…and JJ…_how_?" Ryo spluttered, unable to take it in. Drake smiled bitterly.

"Well, it all started when JJ finally gave up on Dee and my girlfriend dumped me - she said that no matter what I'd been telling myself, it was obvious that my feelings towards my partner weren't exactly platonic, and that she was damned if she was going to 'date a queer'. The two of us went on a pub crawl and basically ended up in bed together, so…yeah." He finished weakly.

Ryo's lips twitched.

"Very romantic. Do you start all your relationships that way, or just the ones with your partners?" He joked. Both Drake and JJ breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"So you're ok with this? You're not going to freak out or anything?" JJ asked to make sure. Ryo shrugged, taking a sip of his rapidly cooling coffee.

"What, you think I'd have problems with gay couples after working with Dan and Andrew for two years? And anyway, when did I ever seem to have a problem with yours or…Dee's…sexuality when I worked at the precinct?" Ryo pointed out, mock glaring at his friends from over the rim of his cup.

"I guess so…but listen, Ryo…" JJ began.

"Randy." Both Drake and Ryo corrected the other man at the same time. To his credit, although JJ looked surprised, he didn't comment on it, and simply carried on.

"Listen Randy…no one else knows about us. And we'd prefer to keep it that way. We're not entirely comfortable with the others knowing that we're in a relationship. So can we trust you not to tell?" JJ pleaded.

Ryo raised an eyebrow, silently regarding the pair.

"Why would anyone else have a problem with you two? And if you've been going out for a year now it's not like you're not sure whether this relationship will last." Ryo commented, confused. Drake blushed.

"To tell the truth, I'm not that comfortable with suddenly being labelled as gay. I've liked girls for years, and just because I'm going out with a man now doesn't give anyone the right to comment on my sexuality…which the guys are gonna do, even if they don't mean any harm by it. And JJ's going to get some stick from moving on from his 'eternal love' Dee to me."

"I see what you mean. So, if you want me to, I'll keep quiet about this." Ryo promised.

"Man, you're a really great guy, Randy. I'm sorry I didn't notice it before – I was caught up in getting Dee, and you were my riv…oww!" JJ turned to glare angrily at Drake, wanting to know why his boyfriend had just elbowed him in the side. Hard. But a single pointed look over JJ's shoulder from Drake was more than enough to make the shorter of the pair cringe in realisation.

Ryo stared down at his coffee, knuckles turning white as he gripped the handle tightly, although he didn't seem to notice.

"Trust me, JJ, I was never your rival. To be that I would have had to have actually meant something to him…and to have been attracted to him. So, impossible on both counts." Ryo said firmly, eyes silently daring JJ or Drake to pass comment. Luckily for them, both men had enough sense not to say anything.

"But anyway, thanks for not saying anything. You don't know how much that means to us, Randy. Is there anything we can do for you in return?" JJ asked, feeling rather generous all of a sudden. Ryo smiled slightly at him, grip on his cup relaxing back into one more normal.

"Not really. Although…I wouldn't mind you telling me about the blonde woman who came here with you…Amanda? I don't remember her being around when I was still working at the precinct." Ryo commented. He was sure he would have noticed someone so obvious, so he assumed she'd joined the precinct after he'd left.

"Ah, Amanda…hottest chick we've ever had work at the precinct. She transferred in a few months after you left – she got kicked out of the 21st for assaulting her Chief…although he _had_ been trying to feel her up, so I guess she had good reason." Drake explained, a small chuckle escaping him.

"She seems very close to Dee." Ryo commented mildly. Drake and JJ exchanged wary glances before nodding, not entirely sure where this was leading.

"Yeah…they have a kind of special relationship – they just seemed to click the moment they met. He was the first one to call her Mandy, and she's always joking around with him and calling him girls' names. They're constantly teasing each other, but none of it's meant to hurt." JJ expanded, beginning to fidget nervously as the air around them suddenly seemed to get more stuffy and oppressive.

"So they've dated?"

"No! They're not like _that_!" Drake was quick to jump in and correct Ryo. "I mean, they did go out for a drink a few times, but only as friends! I think Amanda wants to be more than that, but Dee…well, he hasn't even dated anyone since you left."

Casting a sneaky glance at Ryo to see how the other man had reacted to the bit of information he'd sneakily thrown in there, Drake was surprised to see the extreme _lack_ of expression on Ryo's face. The Japanese-American he'd known would have found it impossible to hide his emotions like that…but then again, Ryo had obviously changed since they had last seen each other. Since…the accident.

* * *

"_Stay with us, Ryo…don't you dare close your eyes on us, you hear me?" He whispered, staring into Ryo's glazed over eyes. Ryo coughed slightly in response, a small trickle of blood slipping from the corner of his mouth as he did so._

"_I guess…I did…" Ryo murmured quietly, his eyes unfocused. _

"_You did what?" Drake asked gently, trying to keep Ryo awake by his question. Ryo began to mutter something in reply, but it was too quiet for Drake to make out. Frowning, he leaned closer, trying to catch what his friend was saying._

"…_len for a murderer." Ryo breathed, his eyes fluttering shut. Drake's eyes widened, and he began to shake Ryo, desperately trying to get him to wake up._

"_No! Come on Ryo, just keep those eyes open a little while longer!"

* * *

_

Shuddering slightly, Drake pulled himself back to the present, just in time to hear JJ's own attempt to make Ryo a little more friendly towards Dee.

"…he hasn't been himself at all. He really missed you Randy." JJ said seriously, staring at the blonde with shining blue eyes. Ryo shrugged coldly, getting up as he decided that this conversation was pulling him much too far into the very territory he'd come in here to avoid.

"So what? I didn't miss him at all." He stated callously, before striding out of the room and leaving the two shocked men behind him.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

* * *

Ok...I really am sorry guys. I actually wrote this a long time ago, but I thought I'd posted it! Oops! This was just a little hint of how Ryo's feeling about the whole situation...I realised I'd only written in Dee's POV up to now, and Ryo's been coming off a bit too coldly, so I wanted to give an idea of how he's feeling behind all those walls. And yay! I finally factored it in! After Dee and Ryo, Drake and JJ have to be my favourite FAKE couple, and now I have them together! 

Thanks for all your reviews, guys - I hit 60 the other day! So please, make me even happier - read and review please!

Oh, and for anyone who hasn't already, go read **Aeryon Sun's Glorious**...brilliant!

* * *

**Blood Tears Dying Angel** - Yay! Got glomped! Heh...Ryo has been a bit cold, hasn't he? But hopefully he'll be warming up a bit now... 

**Aeryon Sun** - Yeah, Ryo's been really sensitive about this, hasn't he? But there's a reason for that, and you'll find it out nearer the end...I'm so glad you like Mandy! She's a great character to write, and I can't wait to do more on her! And you were right about who saw them!

**Lady-Willowish** - Angst is my speciality! And yes, poor Dee!

**GreenEyedFloozy** - Thanks! But...midol? I may be being thick here because I have no idea what that is!

**sohma-kitty-10-14 **- Please don't cry! Here, have a tissue! (Gives box of tissues)

**karen** - ...You still there? Please tell me I didn't kill someone, LOL. Thanks for your comments, and sorry for the lack of update!

**For My Love Kakashi** - Yes...Ryo's been a bit harsh to poor Dee, hasn't he? And there'll be something in the next chapter that will get a bit closer...hopefully!

**CosmicEssence** - Doh! Someone noticed! I actually got a bit upset when I realised that because the shooting incident came so early in the series, a lot of my favourite parts of the manga wouldn't have been included, so I'm going to be putting certain parts of it into my fic...and a certain case that was my favourite during the series! You're very observant to spot that!

**tammy-love** - Hmm...I'll have to look into that book...hopefully it's out over here as well...and thanks for your comments! He really has put a wall up between him and Dee...and he has a reason for that. But there is definitely a little Dee with a sledgehammer wokring to bring it down again! It's a pity you don't work in Japan - they have around 130 seiyuu schools there to train voice actors!

**takoyakimonster **- Yep, I'm going to continue! See? LOL

**sweetrosey** - Please don't kill Ryo...I need him for my fic! Great that you're still alive (snigger), and if you want lip action...watch out for the title of the next chapter (wink)!


	8. Alcohol And Kisses

**Introduction**

An alternate ending to Act 6. What if Dee hadn't listened to Ryo's pleas? What if the bullet had hit Ryo, instead of the wall?

Torn apart by guilt, Dee can only watch as the trust he shared with Ryo crumbles away, leaving their growing relationship a broken and shattered one. And when Ryo announces that he's leaving, it looks like all of Dee's hopes for a future with the man he loves have become impossible to achieve. With only himself to blame for the turn of events, Dee searches frantically for Ryo, only to find that his old partner seems to have disappeared for good. Is this the end of their crime busting team? Has Dee's mistake cost him his dream of being with Ryo?

**_As events unfold, two hearts are broken…._**

* * *

**Chapter Eight; Alcohol And Kisses**

Dee entered the building that was home to Star Investigations less than gracefully that morning. Stumbling up the stairs, he groaned quietly, pressing a hand to his head as if it would shut up the marching band he was sure was playing in there. He felt like crap…and having Bikky and Carol in band uniforms, hammering away at those drums, wasn't helping any.

Of course, he reflected, maybe if he'd actually got any real sleep last night he wouldn't have been feeling quite as close to a vampire bat this morning. But hearing your true love tell you he practically hated you and that he'd never love you didn't really bring on the most brilliant dreams in the world.

Dee had finally given up on getting any sleep at around 1am…at which point he'd found himself ringing Amanda's hotel room and asking her to come over. To her credit, the blonde had turned up at his door less than five minutes later, despite her previous threats of what would happen if Dee rang her after midnight.

A few tears and quite a few mumbled curses later, Dee had finally poured out the whole sorry tale to Amanda, who'd just sat there for a moment, mouth open. Dee had just been wondering what was meant to happen next when he'd had a bottle of beer shoved into his hand. Looking up, he'd been faced with the sight of Amanda practically emptying his minibar, and with a shrug he'd simply downed his own drink, deciding that it would be far more fun to join her than sit here moping all night.

Which led him up to the present. Waking up after passing out sometime after his 12th bottle, Dee had found himself alone with a note from Amanda saying that she'd gone back to her room to change and she'd pay half the drinks bill when the hotel sent the tab.

It definitely wasn't fair, he mused. He'd never thought he'd see the day when a woman outdrank him, and for her to then merely go to work the next day hangover-free was simply a kick in the…

His thoughts broke off as he heard footsteps, and he glanced wearily up the stairs to see Alex coming down, file in hand. Catching sight of his new colleague, Alex shook his head, sighing.

"Drinking with Amanda, right?" He said simply, not really needing to say anything else. Dee nodded glumly, cursing when the movement sent a sharp spike of agony through his poor brain.

"Yeah…how did you know?"

"Trust me, if you'd seen Amanda this morning you wouldn't need to ask." Alex snorted, carrying on down past him.

Dee brightened slightly at the words. So she hadn't got away scot-free after all? There was indeed a God!

"Oh, and by the way, I'd speed up if I were you. Randy can't stand people being late, even if he likes them. So in your case…." Alex didn't get a chance to say anything else. Dee was already up the stairs like a rocket, hand clapped over his mouth in an attempt not to throw up.

* * *

"Wonderful. Not only do I get saddled with you as my partner, I have to put up with you turning up late with a hangover too." Ryo commented scornfully, lips curled in distaste as Dee stood there awkwardly. He guessed the other man didn't really know how to react around him after yesterday's little episode, but found himself unable to particularly care. If he had the gall to turn up to work 15 minutes late looking like he was going to collapse any minute, then he definitely didn't deserve even the smallest shred of compassion from him.

"Well, what have you got to say for yourself? And you'd better have read that file I gave you!" Ryo said threateningly, glaring at his dark haired partner. Dee's head shot up at his words, an indignant expression on his face.

"Of course I did!" He protested hotly. "Believe it or not, I know when you've got to take things serious…ow! My head…"

Watching Dee wince and collapse back into his chair groaning, Ryo sighed and moved to his desk, pulling open a drawer and beginning to rummage through it. Finally locating what he'd been searching for, he pulled it out and tossed it to Dee. Automatically raising a hand to catch it, Dee blinked as he saw what it was.

"Aspirin?" He questioned. Ryo shrugged, dropping down into his own seat.

"Extra strong. They'll get rid of the worst of your hangover for sure. Just trust me on this." Dee frowned slightly at the certainty he heard in the other's voice, but dismissed it, tipping two pills out of the packet and swallowing them without water.

"Thanks." Throwing the packet back to Ryo, Dee smiled at his old partner, even when Ryo only gave him a cold look in return. Ryo had cared enough to put him out of his misery, and for now, that was enough for Dee.

* * *

"I know you're just going to jump down my throat for saying this, but…why do you accept all these cases? I mean, fair enough, some of them are important. But ones like this!" Dee gave the file he was studying a disgusted look.

Waiting for the short, icy comment he was sure was going to come from Ryo, Dee was surprised when the blonde simply chuckled lowly, raising his head from his own work to regard Dee.

"I have to admit, I agree with you about this case." He confessed. "I don't think that someone being paranoid that their husband is stalking the neighbour's dog really merits our attention, but we have no choice. Star Investigations never turn down a case."

"Do you always get cases this weird?" Dee asked hesitantly, afraid that he'd just said the wrong thing and that this friendly moment was going to suddenly end. But to his relief, Ryo merely shook his head, not looking like he was going to bite Dee's head off anytime soon.

"No. My last one was a routine mugging case. The police gave up on it after only a few days of investigation, so the victim came to us for help. I tracked down the mugger and arranged for the police to arrest him, handing over my information for processing. Although…"

"Although?" Dee prompted, not wanting this to end.

"…although, you should have seen the case we got a few weeks before that. A guy was convinced that his girlfriend was a drug addict, and asked us to trail her and find out who her supplier was, so that she'd be forced to go cold turkey."

"And?" Dee asked, not sure why Ryo thought this case was weird.

"Well, when we asked him why he thought his wife was on drugs, he told us that he'd found cranberry juice in her refrigerator. He thought she was drinking it to cover up a drugs test." Ryo finished, his mouth quirking into a smile.

Dee stared at him for a moment, before starting to laugh uncontrollably, breath hitching from the force of his laughter.

"You're kidding me!" He gasped. Ryo chuckled, shaking his head.

"Nope."

"And you seriously accepted that!"

"Well, we didn't really put a whole lot of effort into it, if you know what I mean. We had Lisa trail her for a grand total of two days, and told the poor guy a week later that she hadn't been anywhere near drugs whilst we were trailing her, and that he must have been mistaken. But that's not the end of the story."

"There's more?" Dee choked out, briefly wondering if your sides really could split from laughing too much.

"Well, a few days later, we had the girlfriend come in saying that she'd felt like someone was watching her a few days back, and that she thought she was being stalked. Turned out that Lisa's really bad at trailing people, and that _she_ was the 'stalker'." Ryo laughed.

That was it. Dee couldn't take it anymore. Clutching at his stomach, he laughed so hard that he fell off his chair, where he curled himself into a ball on the floor, still shaking helplessly with the strength of his giggles.

"Dee? Are you alright?" Ryo asked, standing up quickly to see.

Dee nodded, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, buddy. I missed you, you know?"

Ryo froze, dark eyes widening as he suddenly realised what was happening. For a moment, it had almost felt like they were back at the 27th precinct, and like a fool he'd let himself believe in that illusion. But it wasn't like that now, was it? Slowly sitting back down, Ryo absently fingered the scar on his chest through his shirt, expression almost visibly closing off.

"We haven't got time for this. Get back to work, Dee." He said shortly, turning to his computer and focusing all of his attention on the words dancing on the screen. Dee's laughter instantly died, and he got to his feet, staring awkwardly at Ryo.

"Ryo…"

"For the last time, it's Randy now."

Dee sat down and got back to work without another word.

* * *

The rest of the day passed agonisingly slowly for Dee, each second seeming to last a lifetime. The other man seemed to have decided that treating him more coldly than ever would make up for the brief moment he'd let his guard down earlier, and Dee had been forced to feel like the chewing gum stuck on someone's shoe ever since then.

"You're free to go now, Dee. Workday's over." Ryo said, looking up from the mass of paper he'd surrounded himself with and saying the first civil words he'd said to Dee since that morning. Dee nodded, standing up and grabbing his coat from the peg in the wall. Pausing, he turned to face Ryo questioningly.

"You're not coming?"

"I have nothing to do, so I might as well stay here and get a little more done." Ryo replied expressionlessly, jotting down a few notes on a piece of paper.

"Not even a date?" Dee asked warily. Ryo's head shot up, and he was opening his mouth to say something that from the look on his face wouldn't be pleasant when they were suddenly interrupted.

"Randy Maclean, on a date? Don't make me laugh. In all the time he's worked here, I've never heard of him dating even one girl." Daniel smirked, leaning against the doorframe as he ignored the poisonous look being sent his way courtesy of Ryo.

"Oh come on Dan, be fair. I'm sure he's gone out with a few. Like….umm…or…..oh. I think you were right. He hasn't dated anyone." Andrew said thoughtfully, allowing his boyfriend to wrap his arms around his waist and pull him back against him.

"Thanks Andrew, for your spirited defence of me." Ryo said sarcastically. Andrew shrugged, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks as Dan leaned forward to nip at his ear.

"Sorry, Randy. But it's true – you _haven't_ gone out with anyone. And we should know, being your best friends and all."

"Yeah, about that…why exactly are you here?"

"Oh, Andy! Randy doesn't care about us anymore!" Daniel wailed, burying his face in Andrew's shoulder. Dee sweatdropped, wondering how on earth two people so different could possibly be a couple.

"Come on Dan, just answer the question." Ryo groaned, waiting for his friend to surface. From the way Andrew was beginning to squirm, it appeared that hiding wasn't the only thing Dan was doing there.

Finally pulling back, Dan shrugged, a wicked grin dancing over his lips.

"We were just going to ask if you two wanted to join us tonight. Everyone's going out for drinks so that we can get to know each other better, so we were wondering whether…"

"I'm in." Dee grinned, last night's hangover a distant memory due to Ryo's miracle-working aspirin.

"Great! Randy?" Andrew inquired, looking at Ryo pleadingly. Dee was about to jump in and say that Ryo had never gone out with the guys and got drunk, so there was no point asking, when Ryo suddenly shocked him beyond all reason.

"Sure. Silk?"

"Where else?"

Wheeling round, Dee gaped at his old partner.

"What the…you hardly ever touch the stuff!" He gasped. Dan laughed.

"Are you sure you have the right person? Have you ever _seen_ him drink?"

Dee's mouth worked silently as he tried to take it all in. Ryo just smirked, brushing a few golden strands of hair out of his eyes.

"Things change, Dee. We going now, Andrew?"

"Hey! Why didn't you ask me? I'm the one in control here! Andy's the submissive one!"

Silence.

"Dan…" Andrew whimpered, hiding his face in his hands.

"You really just don't get the term 'too much information', do you Dan?" Ryo commented, shaking his head slightly.

"What? _What_?"

* * *

"So this is Silk, huh?" Dee commented, glancing round at the elegant bar interior. "Nice." He wasn't trying to suck up to his new friends – Silk was genuinely a nice bar. With its classy black décor, Silk somehow seemed more exclusive than other places, whilst at the same time maintaining a sense of casualness and relaxation. There weren't too many people here either – hidden down a narrow, winding flight of steps in the middle of the street, most people would have completely missed Silk. If Dee hadn't been with the others, he was sure he would have too.

"Hey, they have a dance floor!" Amanda grinned, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. Alex smiled at her excitement.

"Yes, it was only added recently. And because its not too busy here, you can actually dance without getting shoved over by some overenthusiastic couple…in other words, Dan and Andrew."

"Hey, we told you were sorry!" Dan protested, wrapping an arm around Andrew's shoulders. "It only happened once!"

"Trust me, once was more than enough. I had bruises for a week!"

As the two men argued, Drake and JJ shot each other a look that told the other in no uncertain terms that they'd be out there tonight, one way or another.

"So where are we sitting? Usual spot?" Andrew asked. Alex did a quick head count and shook his head.

"No, our table's not big enough to fit eight people there. We'll have to use one of the booths at the back."

"It's a good thing that the others couldn't come – we'd have had to use two tables. And that defeats the point of getting to know each other." Dan observed.

"Yeah, why _didn't_ they come?" Dee asked, moving towards the back tables with the rest of the group.

Andrew shrugged, holding up a hand and beginning to count off.

"Well, Jake and Sarah wanted to finish up their paperwork…Matthew didn't come in today because he was sick, and as for Lisa and your friend Ted…let's just say that I'd pray for him if I were you."

"Huh?"  
"Well, when Lisa told Ted earlier that she went to a club every Thursday night, he jumped all over the idea, and made her promise to take him with her. I don't think he realised that she was talking about the Intensive Body Combat course at the gym." Andrew explained. Everyone from the 27th precinct groaned, thinking that that was just like their flirtatious, yet not overly bright, redheaded friend.

As the group slid into a fairly large booth at the back, Dan stood up and waved the waitress over, winking saucily at her when she came immediately.

"Hey, Rosalyn. Good night tonight?" He asked. The girl laughed, shaking her head at the playful tone he'd adopted.

"If I didn't know you were gay, Daniel Parry, I'd have thought you were flirting with me! Now what do you and your new friends want to drink?"

"I'll have a Bloody Mary tonight, and Andrew wants a…"

"Screwdriver, please."

"Right…and the rest of you?"

"White Russian for me please." Alex decided.

"I'll take a Vodka Martini, if you do them." Said Amanda.

"Plain beer for me, thanks. Cocktails don't do anything for me." Drake chuckled.

"Same for me." JJ murmured, shooting Drake a shy smile.

"Right…and the last two?" Rosalyn asked, jotting down the requests on a pad of paper.

"Beer for me too, please." Dee grinned.

"Normal please, Rosalyn. I'll start off with a Vana Tallinn." Ryo stated.

As the waitress bustled away, Dee turned to Ryo with a confused look on his face, forgetting for a moment that he was probably going to get his head bitten off again.

"Vana Tallinn? What's that? I've never heard of it before."

"It's a type of Estonian liquor, a sort of herbal spirit." Dan jumped in before Ryo could answer. "It's the strongest alcohol in the world – 98 percent."

"98 percent!" Drake yelped in shock. "That's crazy! How can you drink that?"

"Randy here's the only one in the group who can." Andrew said almost proudly.

"Hey, it's not like that's all I drink! That would be suicide! I just start off with one before moving onto the other drinks…" Ryo protested.

They carried on talking until their drinks arrived, where the members of the 27th precinct watched in awe as Ryo downed his drink in two gulps, shuddering as the strong liquor blazed its way down his throat.

"Ok…that was good. Think I'll go order another drink now." He smiled, getting up and moving over to the bar.

To most of the group's surprise, after Ryo got his drink he stayed there, seating himself on one of the stools next to the bar and drumming his fingers to the music playing. Seeing the four bewildered expressions, Alex simply shook his head, shrugging.

"He always does that. Randy seems to prefer drinking alone most of the time. Whenever we go out, he'll have the first drink with us, then spend the rest of the evening at the bar."

"And you're ok with that?" Amanda asked.

"Sure. If that's what Randy likes best, then let him. It's not like he ignores us after that first drink – if we go over to talk to him, he'll answer. It's fine." Andrew claimed.

"Well, except for that one time some idiot tried to spike his drink. Luckily, we realised what was happening before the guy got him out of here though, so nothing happened." Dan murmured. Dee bristled in anger at the thought of someone trying to take advantage of Ryo, but quickly got himself under control, reminding himself that Alex, Andrew and Dan had been there to look out for him.

"But anyway…cheers guys!" Amanda said brightly, raising her Vodkatini.

"Cheers!"

* * *

"Shouldn't we stop him?" Dee asked a few hours later, glancing over at Ryo in concern. The blonde had been steadily downing drink after drink since they'd got here, and by now most people would have been on the floor. However, even if Ryo hadn't collapsed yet, he was still slouched over the bar, swaying dangerously back and forth on his stool.

"He'll be fine. He always does this when we go out. If we went out more often, I'd be worried, but since we don't…he's not an alcoholic or anything. He just goes a bit crazy from time to time." Daniel said confidently.

"But seriously! He's fine? He's just had more than two week's worth of units in one go!" Dee exclaimed, shooting Ryo another anxious look. The Japanese-American's head was dipping now, and Rosalyn was moving over to him.

"You ok, Randy? I think you've had enough for tonight." She murmured gently. Ryo shrugged, shakily pulling out his wallet.

"Just one more, Rosalyn. Van…Vana Tally, Vana Talon…Vana T, please." He slurred. Rosalyn raised an eyebrow.

"You're sure, Randy?"

"Yup."

"Well ok…"

"Hey Dan…maybe he's not fine after all. I mean, another Vana Tallinn…?" Andrew said nervously. Daniel snorted.

"Relax, Andy. Randy will be fine…" He smiled, gesturing to where Ryo was just pouring his newly arrived drink down his throat.

"See? Totally…whoa!" Dan yelped as Ryo suddenly started to slip back off his stool, the three men still seated at the table rushing forward to catch him before he hit the floor.

"Ok, so maybe _not_ fine." Daniel said sheepishly, laughing nervously in the face of both Andrew and Dee's fiery glares.

Shifting Ryo in his arms to get the blonde into a more comfortable position, Dee shot his colleagues a questioning look.

"So now what? What usually happens after Ry…Randy collapses?"

"We normally all get a taxi home, and drop him off at his place on the way." Andrew murmured, frowning slightly. "But we can't all fit in one tonight…we'll have to take two."

Leaving Ryo with Dee and Dan, Andrew moved through the bar to get to the small throng of people on the dance floor, squeezing past the moving couples to find his other four friends. Amanda had dragged Alex out there earlier after Dee had declined, and Drake and JJ had quickly followed, laughing and pretending that it was all a big joke.

"Guys! Alex! Amanda! Drake! JJ! Dan and me are heading back now with Randy, ok? See you tomorrow!" Andrew called.

"Sure thing, Andrew." Alex panted, trying to desperately to keep up with Amanda's wild movements. "We probably won't stay that much longer anyway."

Nodding, Andrew squeezed his way back to the other three, experienced eyes easily seeing the way Dee held Ryo, as if he could protect him from everything.

"They said it's fine. You coming with us, Dee?"

Dee nodded, gazing down at the limp form in his arms.

"Of course."

* * *

Halfway through the taxi ride, Ryo woke up, although he didn't pose much trouble to his three mostly sober friends. He just sat there quietly leaning on Daniel's shoulder, chuckling softly to himself every now and then, or occasionally murmuring something too quiet to really hear.

When the taxi pulled up outside the first address Andrew had given the driver, Dee instantly opened the door, getting out and indicating for the other two to pass Ryo to him.

"Uh, Dee? You don't even know which one's his apartment." Andrew gently reminded him, even as Dan started coaxing Ryo out of the taxi.

"Well, tell me and I'll take him up for you." Dee grinned, silently sending up a prayer. If he could just know where Ryo lived, maybe one day he'd be able to accidentally meet up with him and make amends somehow.

"I don't know…he's clearly not that comfortable around you, so you knowing his address may freak him out…" Andrew said uneasily. Dan paused, clearly starting to think around his boyfriend's line of thought.

"Um…well…if you let me take Randy up, you and Dan can have some time to yourselves!" Dee finally crowed triumphantly, practically seeing the way Daniel's ears perked up at the idea. He hadn't been able to really do much with Andrew all night, so…

"Come on, Andy, it won't hurt to let him."Daniel said hurriedly, quickly hooking one of Ryo's arms round Dee's shoulders and pushing the blonde gently into Dee's waiting arms. "Apartment 501."

"Thanks." Dee grinned, beginning to slowly guide Ryo across the pavement and into the building. Behind him, he could hear Andrew hotly protesting to Daniel…however, those protests were cut off with a squawk only moments later.

* * *

"501…501…ah! Here it is!" Propping the compliant Ryo against the hallway wall, Dee smiled apologetically at him and stuck his hand into the blonde's trouser pocket, rummaging around for his keys.

"They're in my coat pocket." Ryo murmured, dark eyes twinkling with amusement as Dee hurriedly withdrew his hand to search in the right pocket.

"Right. Sorry about that." Dee muttered, blushing slightly as he unlocked the door and helped Ryo inside.

"I'm not." Dee didn't have time to wonder what Ryo had meant before lips were suddenly crushed against his, their owner wrapping his arms around Dee's neck. For a moment, Dee instinctively welcomed them, loving the way Ryo tasted after all this time.

But then he tasted the alcohol in Ryo's mouth, and despite how every part of his body called out against it, he pulled back, shaking his head.

"No…stop it, Ryo…you're drunk…" He protested quietly, gently pushing Ryo away. Ryo frowned, trying again.

"'M not. And why should it matter?"

"Because you'll regret this in the morning." Dee said firmly, guiding Ryo to sit safely down on the couch before the blonde could react. Ryo stared at him, dark eyes almost impossibly wide.

"You don't want me?" H whispered, seemingly stricken. Dee was at his side in an instant, wrapping a comforting arm around Ryo and placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Of course I want you, Ryo. I've wanted you ever since I first met you. But if I went ahead now, it would be wrong. It may not feel like it now, but trust me, you'll hate both me and yourself in the morning."

Ryo blinked, gazing quietly at him for a moment before smiling softly.

"Ok. Night, Dee." He murmured, lying down. Dee chuckled, getting up and draping the throw over Ryo. Taking one last look at the unguarded Ryo, he left the apartment, locking the door behind him and posting the key back through the letterbox.

"Dee? Are you ok?" Andrew asked in concern when Dee finally arrived back at the taxi. "You look a little flushed…"

"I'm fine, Andrew…just…let's just go home." Dee said quietly, gazing out the window as the taxi pulled away, eyes never leaving the window that belonged to Ryo's apartment.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

* * *

Well...after several months of solid exams, coursework and revision, I'm back everybody! I'm so sorry for leaving this on hiatus so long! In case anyone was wondering, the Vana Tallinn is actually a real drink. And that story about the husband being so suspicious over cranberry juice is also real - it actually made it all the way to court. On the subject of Dan and Andrew...I've fallen in love with my own characters, LOL. The more I write them, the more tempted I am to write a spin off series on them. Which would never work, but hey, a girl can dream.

Please read and review - the more work I have to put in replying, the better I feel. And question...would you guys prefer that I keep posting replies here, or reply directly to you?

**Blood Tears Dying Angel** - Oh yeah - Ryo's definitely warming up now...just look at the end of the latest chapter!

**Dementia-12** - I'm so happy that you like it! And I'm sorry I left you hanging so long!

**Lady-Willowish** - Yes, Ryo is being a bit on the dumb side, isn't he? And I actually really enjoyed writing in Ryo POV. But since I seem to write better when in Dee's, I think I'm stuck in it now. Boo.

**AeryonSun** - You liked? That makes me so happy! And I included that chapter to show what Ryo's actually like, so I'm glad it went over ok!

**yaoinut** - Sorry I kept you waiting! And will they get back together? The answer is...I can't tell you. You'll have to keep reading.

**sohma-kitty-10-14** - No problem! DrakexJJ is a couple that grew on me over time, and I just had to include them here. And Ryo? Jealous? Never...he was never jealous in the manga, was he? (winks)

**GreenEyedFloozy** - Sorry I didn't update very quickly...and oh. Thanks for the explanation. I feel a failure as a female now...but since I'm fairly lucky in that department, I guess I have an excuse.

**CosmicEssence** - I hope this wasn't crappy...I really do. I'm glad you liked that little exchange as well...Ryo's definitely a master at fooling himself, but hopefully he'll get a clue soon!

**Ryo** - Sorry I keep taking so long to update! Thanks for your comments, and I'm glad you like it!

**Time-Again** - I am happy to inform you that I have just got out of hospital after last week's attack. I am considering a restraining order too, LOL. Wolfe, however, gets a cookie for saving me! Glad you liked it!

**Anime-Lover-95** - ...Oh no. I took so long to update...are you still alive? And you're not a murderer now are you? (Hides)


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